Gender and age effects on pulsatile ocular blood flow.
OBJECTIVE
To examine gender and age effects on pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF).


METHODS
Normal subjects, 152 females and 107 males, were separated into younger (40-50) and older (50-60) age groups.


RESULTS
For younger women, mean POBF (15.3 +/- 3.7 microl/s) was significantly different (p < 0.01) than for older women (13.8 +/- 3.5 microl/s), younger men (13.2 +/- 3.3 microl/s), and older men (13.3 +/- 3.1 microl/s). The mean POBFs for each of the latter three groups were not significantly different (p > 0.41) from one another. The four groups showed no significant differences in intraocular pressure (p > 0.07) or refraction (p > 0.46). Pulse rate for younger women was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than for the older two groups, but there were no significant pulse rate differences (p > 0.08) between other groups. POBF was not correlated with IOP (r2 < 0.04), refraction (r2 < 0.009) or pulse rate (r2 < 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
Gender and age play an important role in POBF.
Geyer
Orna
O
Department of Ophthalmology, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. drgo@netvision.net.il
Silver
David M
DM
Mathalon
Nurit
N
Massey
A David
AD
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D005123:Eye / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012737:Sex Factors; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular / Q000379:methods