Comparative corneal biomechanical characteristics in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and neovascular age-related macular degeneration analyzed by corvis ST: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

To explore the differences in corneal biomechanical characteristics among patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), and healthy individuals. This cross-sectional study included patients with nAMD or PCV and healthy controls. The patients were classified into the nAMD group, PCV group, and control group. Corneal biomechanical parameters were measured by Corvis ST and compared between the three groups. Multiple linear regression and analysis of covariance were used to compare parameters after adjusting for confounders. ROC analysis evaluated diagnostic performance in distinguishing PCV from healthy controls. This study enrolled 14 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), 26 patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), and 26 healthy controls. After covariate adjustment, SSI and SP-HC were higher in PCV eyes than in nAMD eyes ( P = 0.031 and 0.030, respectively) and healthy control eyes ( P = 0.013 and 0.011, respectively). SP-HC showed moderate discriminatory ability for distinguishing PCV from healthy controls (AUC = 0.750, P = 0.002). PCV eyes exhibited distinct corneal biomechanical profiles compared with nAMD and healthy controls, suggesting a potential association between corneal biomechanics and PCV. SP-HC showed preliminary potential for discriminating PCV from healthy eyes. These findings should be considered exploratory and require validation in larger cohorts.