Study shows age and gender impact corneal epithelial thickness in refractive surgery candidates
Corneal epithelial thickness is influenced by both age and gender, with men having thicker epithelium than women in all quadrants, and thickness increasing with age in the peripheral regions, according to a study.
In this single-center retrospective study, researchers analyzed 181 right eyes using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT, MS39) to measure corneal epithelial thickness (CET) across the central cornea and 4 peripheral quadrants. Results showed that men consistently had thicker epithelium than women in all quadrants (P < 0.005). Age was also a determining factor, with CET increasing in the inferior, nasal, temporal, and superior regions with advancing age (all P < 0.05). However, no significant correlation was observed in the central zone (P = 0.06).
Reference
Hayat H, Sapir S, Golzman Y, et al. Effect of Age and Gender on Corneal Epithelial Thickness in Refractive Surgery Candidates. Clin Ophthalmol. 2025;19:2765-2771. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S528185. PMID: 40852332; PMCID: PMC12368356.
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