Measurement of Angle Kappa Using Ultrasound Biomicroscopy and Corneal Topography

PURPOSE: To introduce a new convenient and accurate method to measure the angle kappa using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and corneal topography. METHODS: Data from 42 eyes (13 males and 29 females) were analyzed in this study. The angle kappa was measured using Orbscan II and calculated with UBM and corneal topography. The angle kappa of the dominant eye was compared with measurements by Orbscan II. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 36.4 ± 13.8 years. The average angle kappa measured by Orbscan II was 3.98° ± 1.12°, while the average angle kappa calculated with UBM and corneal topography was 3.19° ± 1.15°. The difference in angle kappa measured by the two methods was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The two methods showed good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.671; p < 0.001). Bland-Altman plots were used to demonstrate the agreement between the two methods. CONCLUSIONS: We designed a new method using UBM and corneal topography to calculate the angle kappa. This method is convenient to use and allows for measurement of the angle kappa without an expensive device.