Ultrasound biomicroscopy in patients with unilateral pseudoexfoliation

·AIM: To compare the anterior segment morphology evaluated using ultrasound biomicroscopy(UBM) in patients with clinical pseudoexfoliation syndrome(XFS)in one eye and no clinical XFS in the fellow eye.·METHODS: Thirty patients with unilateral XFS were included in the study. All patients underwent evaluation of their anterior segment using UBM with and without dilatation with 1% cyclopentolate. The anterior chamber depth(ACD), lens thickness(LT), anterior chamber angle(ACA), ciliary body thickness(CBT), scleral thickness(ST), trabeculae-ciliary processes distance(T-CPD), and iris-ciliary processes distance(I-CPD) were measured using UBM scans. All results between the eyes with clinical XFS and their fellow eyes without clinical XFS were then compared.·RESULTS: Before dilatation the eyes with XFS(4.350±0.531 mm) were found to have a significantly thicker lens(P =0.002) than the eyes without XFS(4.238 ±0.540 mm).In addition after dilatation, the eyes with XFS(4.310 ±0.500 mm) were found to have a significantly thicker lens than the eyes without XFS(4.160±0.480 mm)(P=0.019).The average ACD, for the group with XFS, comparing pre-dilatation(2.616 ±0.349 mm) and post-dilatation measurements(2.714±0.413) was found to be statistically increased(P =0.014). The average ACD, comparing pre-dilatation to post-dilatation measurements in patients without XFS(2.680±0.360),(2.720±0.500) was found to be statistically unchanged(P =0.450).·CONCLUSION: Crystalline lenses tended to be thicker in the eyes with clinical pseudoexfoliation than their fellow eyes without pseudoexfoliation.