A Relationship between Intraocular Pressure and Age and Body Mass Index in a Korean Population

Lee, Jong Soo; Kim, Cheul Min; Choi, Hee Young; Oum, Boo Sup

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was carried out to evaluate the relationship between intraocular pressure (IOP) and age or obesity adjusted for systemic health parameters such as gender, mean blood pressure in a Korean population. METHODS: A total of 13212 healthy participants underwent automated multi-phasic test, including tonometry, automated perimetry, fundus photography, blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI). We used six age groups divided by decades ranging from 20 to 29 years to 70 to over 70 years old. The association between IOP and systemic health parameters was examined by means of cross-sectional analysis. RESULTS: The median age of participants was 47.6 years (range, 20 to 84 years), and 6684 (50.6%) of participants was males. The mean IOP of participants was 15.5 mmHg. The mean IOP, blood pressure, and BMI value was significantly higher in male than in female (P<0.05). The overall prevalence of ocular hypertension, defined as IOP > 22 mmHg without signs of glaucoma field or optic disc damages, was 6.1% in males and 2.5% in females. IOP was associated with mean blood pressure, gender, age, and BMI by multiple regression analysis (P<0.05). The relationship between IOP and age adjusted for gender, mean blood pressure, and BMI showed a significantly negative tendency in both genders (P<0.05). BMI had a significantly positive relation with IOP after controlling for age, gender, and mean blood pressure in male (P<0.05), but not in female. CONCLUSIONS: In this Korea population, after multiple adjustment, IOP was found to decrease with age in both gender and to increase with BMI in male.