Gender-differences in age-related changes of corneal astigmatism in Korean cataract patients.

Background: This cross-sectional study investigated age-related changes in anterior, posterior, and total corneal astigmatism and evaluated sex differences in corneal astigmatism with increasing age in cataract patients.

Methods: This study evaluated eyes with cataracts from May 2009 and July 2013. All eyes underwent a complete ophthalmological examination and corneal Scheimpflug imaging by a Pentacam camera (Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany). Anterior, posterior, and total corneal astigmatism were determined. Power vector J and linear regression analyses were determined and compared with respect to age and sex.

Results: Four hundred and fifteen patients (217 men, 198 women) aged 20-89 years were evaluated. For anterior corneal astigmatism, 100% of patients who were 20-39 years old had with-the-rule (WTR) in both sexes. WTR was significantly lower in patients 80-89 years old (25.6% of men and 37.8% of women). For total corneal astigmatism, WTR also tended to decrease with increasing age: 93.3% of men and 100% of women 20-39 years old versus 20.9% of men and 31.1% of women 80-89 years old. The regression coefficient of both the anterior corneal and total corneal J vector values analyzed by age were - 0.018 in men and - 0.016 in women (both p < .001).

Conclusions: The against-the-rule shift was faster for total corneal astigmatism than for anterior corneal astigmatism and it occurred earlier in men than in women.

Trial Registration: Retrospectively registered. Registration number: KC15RISI0241 . Registered April 20, 2016.