Central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure in captive black‐footed penguins ( S pheniscus dermersus )

Objective To determine the central corneal thickness ( CCT ) by ultrasonic pachymetry and the effect of these values on the measurements of intraocular pressures ( IOP ) with rebound tonometry ( T ono V et ® ) in a captive flock of black‐footed penguins ( S pheniscus dermersus ). Variations in CCT by age and weight, and variations in IOP by age were compared. Animal studied Both eyes of 18 clinically normal black‐footed penguins ( S pheniscus dermersus ) were used. Procedure The IOP was measured by the T ono V et ® in both eyes of all the penguins. CTT measurements were performed 5 min later in all eyes using an ultrasound pachymeter. Results The mean IOP values ±  SD were 31.77 ± 3.3 mm Hg (range of mean value: 24–38). The mean CCT values were 384.08 ± 30.9 μm (range of mean value: 319–454). There was no correlation between IOP and CCT values ( P  = 0.125). There was no difference in CCT measurements by age ( P  = 0.122) or weight ( P  = 0.779). A correlation was observed ( P  = 0.032) between IOP values and age. The coefficient of correlation was negative (ρ = −0.207). Conclusions Ultrasound pachymetry has shown to be a reliable and easy technique to measure CCT in penguins. No correlation was observed between IOP and CCT values in this study. IOP showed a significant but weak decrease as age increased in the black‐footed penguin.