RESUMO
PURPOSE: 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). CONCLUSION: Gender and age play an important role in POBF.
