The effects of delivery type and gender on intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness in newborns

ABSTRACT Purpose: To analyze intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT) in newborns during the first 12 h of life. Methods: Forty-three newborns born by vaginal delivery (VD) and 30 newborns born by cesarean section (CS) were evaluated. IOP and CCT were measured using Tono-Pen and handheld pachymeter, respectively, at both the 5th minute after delivery and at the 12th h of life. Results: The mean IOP for the VD group was significantly higher than that of the CS group at both the 5th minute and 12th h (p =0.042 and p =0.018, respectively). In both groups, the IOP decreased by the 12th h, but the decrease was only significant for the CS group (p =0.020). The decrease in CCT over the 12 h was significant for both groups (p <0.001). In the VD and CS groups, the IOP values of the males were significantly higher than those of the females at the fifth minute only (p =0.024 and p =0.043, respectively). No other values were significantly different between the genders. Conclusions: Newborn IOP is affected by the mode of delivery and gender. A higher IOP was found in vaginally delivered newborns than in CS newborns for at least 12 h postpartum. CCT showed a significant decline within 12 h. Male newborns have significantly higher IOP values in the first minutes of life.

摘要
研究目的：分析新生儿出生后12小时内的眼压（intraocular pressure, IOP）与中央角膜厚度（central corneal thickness, CCT）。
研究方法：纳入43例经阴道分娩（vaginal delivery, VD）新生儿与30例剖宫产（cesarean section, CS）新生儿开展评估。分别于分娩后第5分钟及出生后第12小时，使用眼压笔（Tono-Pen）与手持角膜测厚仪分别测量眼压与中央角膜厚度。
研究结果：阴道分娩组新生儿在分娩后第5分钟与出生后第12小时的平均眼压均显著高于剖宫产组（分别为p=0.042与p=0.018）。两组新生儿的眼压均随时间推移至第12小时时出现下降，但该下降仅在剖宫产组中具有统计学意义（p=0.020）。两组新生儿的中央角膜厚度在12小时内均出现显著降低（p<0.001）。在阴道分娩组与剖宫产组中，仅在分娩后第5分钟时男性新生儿的眼压显著高于女性新生儿（分别为p=0.024与p=0.043），其余性别间差异均无统计学意义。
研究结论：新生儿眼压受分娩方式与性别影响。产后至少12小时内，经阴道分娩新生儿的眼压均高于剖宫产新生儿。中央角膜厚度在12小时内出现显著下降。新生儿在出生最初数分钟内，男性的眼压显著高于女性。