A CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE PHASES ON CENTRAL CORNEAL THICKNESS IN INDIAN WOMEN.

Introduction:An important consideration for refractive surgeries is corneal thickness. Cornea is a hormone-responsive tissue.Central corneal thickness (CCT) varies with menstrual phase. Cornea is thickest around ovulation and thinnest at menses or late luteal phase. Aim: To determine the different values of CCT & timing for performing refractive surgery. Materials & Methods: Hospital based cross -sectional study was conducted among 50 women,between 15-45 years (Menarche to Menopause) were examined in the Department of Ophthalmology ,Tertiary care Hospital,Bangalore Rural. Menstrual history was collected & routine Ophthalmic examinations was done. Results: The mean age of the participants was 27.6 + 3.3 years (range:18–45 years). The mean duration of the cycle was 28.2 + 2.6 days (range:25–34 days).The mean CCT of right eye is 534±10.43µm & left eye is 539.44±10.76µm in follicular phase,mean CCT of right eye is 553 ±11.17µm & left eye is 554.32 ±7.46µm in ovulatory phase. Conclusion: CCT being significantly higher during ovulation phase,menstrual history seems to be an important consideration during refractive surgery workup.