The Effect Of Age And Gender On Corneal Epithelial And Stromal Thickness

Detailed mapping of corneal  epithelium and stroma in normal eyes from a Middle Eastern population were analyzed in relation to age, sex, IOP,  Corneal net power & curvature, and age variability. 

A cross-sectional analytical study. Anterior segment SD-OCT to measure corneal epithelial (CET) and stromal thickness (CST) within central 6mm circle.

A total of 134 eyes were analysed for stroma profile; the mean age was 44.7 (17.6) years.  The results included means, standard deviations, and correlations for age groups and cis-gender. Corneal net power, corneal curvatures, and age variations were analysed in detail. Exclusion criteria included any subjects with corneal scarring, dry eyes previous ocular surgery, glaucoma, among others. A 124 individuals composed of 64 males and 60 females were analyzed for the conreal epithelial profile.

Stroma: mean CST (SD) = 476.2(32.4) µm with superior and superior-nasal zones having thicker stroma to inferior and inferior-temporal zones. Central stroma was the thinnest with a mean = 484.6(32.6) µm, while the thickest point was the outer-peripheral superior zone with a mean = 549.3(40.6) µm. Epithelium: CET was thicker in center except the nasal, inferior-nasal, inferior and inferior-temporal zones, respectively, were thicker. Males have thicker CET than females. A positive correlation between age and CET in the central, superior-outer, inferior-inner, and inferior-temporal inner zones. 

Corneal epithelium and stroma showed an irregular distribution with a centrifugal pattern where the central stroma is the thinnest and the superior stroma is the thickest. However, corneal epithelium was thinnest superiorly and thicknest inferiorly.