Variation of corneal thickness with age in young New Zealanders.

The central thickness of the left eyes of 1082 New Zealand students aged 5 to 20 years were measured using optical pachometry. No significant variation in corneal thickness was found with increasing age. The mean corneal thickness of the left eye was 540 +/- 25 microns. No significant differences in corneal thickness were found when the effects of sex or cultural groupings were examined. Corneal thickness appears to remain constant between the age of 5 and 20 years, irrespective of sex or cultural grouping.