Evaluation of Anterior Segment Parameters by Ultrasound Biomicroscopy (UBM) in Patients with Refractive Errors - A Hospital Based Observational Study

Background: Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) enables high-resolution cross-sectional imaging of the anterior segment and provides quantitative biometric data not readily obtainable by optical techniques when media opacity exists. Anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber angle (ACA), and central corneal thickness (CCT) are parameters of established clinical importance in pre-operative assessment for refractive surgery and glaucoma risk stratification. Methods: A hospital-based observational study was conducted over one year in the Department of Ophthalmology, Government Medical College, Kathua. One hundred and fifty consecutive eyes from 150 participants (one eye per participant) aged 10 years with myopia, hypermetropia, or astigmatism and nuclear sclerosis grade Results: Of 150 eyes, 68 (45.3) were myopic, 33 (22.0) hypermetropic, and 49 (32.7) astigmatic. The mean age was 43.3 13.8 years; 74 (49.3) participants were male and 76 (50.7) females. Overall mean (SD) values were: ACD 3.11 0.35 mm (95 CI 3.053.16), ACA 38.02 8.13 (95 CI 36.7239.33), and CCT 495.55 54.54 μm (95 CI 486.82504.28). Myopic eyes had the deepest ACD (3.40 0.20 mm) and widest ACA (43.08 7.62), followed by astigmatic and hypermetropic eyes. One-way ANOVA demonstrated statistically significant differences in ACD (F 164.85, p Conclusion: Myopic eyes exhibited significantly deeper anterior chambers and wider angles, while hypermetropic eyes demonstrated shallower chambers and narrower angles. CCT did not differ significantly across refractive groups. These biometric estimates may provide useful reference values for pre-surgical planning in refractive surgery and glaucoma risk stratification in comparable clinical settings.