Sex differences in the relationship between axial length and dry eye in elderly patients

Masahiko Ayaki; Hidemasa Torii; Erisa Yotsukura; Kazuno Negishi

doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1170696

Sex differences in the relationship between axial length and dry eye in elderly patients

Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Jun 2:10:1170696. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1170696. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Masahiko Ayaki^{1

2}, Hidemasa Torii¹, Erisa Yotsukura¹, Kazuno Negishi¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
² Otake Eye Clinic, Kanagawa, Japan.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the association between myopia and dry eye (DE)-related ocular parameters.

Methods: We recruited a total of 460 patients (mean age, 73.6 years; 40.2% men) and performed DE-related, axial length (AL) and retinal examinations. Statistical analysis revealed a significant sex difference in AL, strip meniscometry value, corneal staining score, corneal endothelial cell density, ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness, and full macular thickness. AL was strongly age- and sex-dependent, so subsequent analyses were stratified by sex.

Results: Among DE-related parameters, strip meniscometry value (ß = -0.167, p = 0.033) and corneal endothelial cell density (ß = -0.139, p = 0.023) were correlated with AL in women but not in men. Regarding retinal parameters, GCC thickness and full macular thickness were correlated with AL in women but not in men.

Conclusion: The current results suggest a relationship between tear production and AL in elderly women and support the hypothesis that there may be a common upstream factor including the parasympathetic nervous system in the association between tear production and AL or DE and myopia.

Keywords: axial length; corneal endothelium; dry eye; ganglion cell complex; myopia; sex differences; tears.