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Corneal sensitivity decreases with age, study says

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Desensitization begins in the corneal periphery and spreads toward the central zone in older patients, so investigators should consider age a relevant factor when testing corneal sensitivity, according to a group of Italian researchers.

Anna M. Roszkowska, MD, and colleagues at the University of Messina examined 500 eyes of 320 healthy subjects with an age range of 20 to 90 years.

Subjects were split into three groups according to age. Corneal sensitivity (CS) was assessed using the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer in the central cornea and in eight peripheral points, the researchers said.

In the younger patients, CS was the same in the two examined zones (P > .05). In the periphery zones of patients older than 50 years, CS was significantly higher in the center (P < .05), the researchers said. There was no difference between men and women.

“Topographical distribution and age-related modifications should be considered in clinical investigations of CS, especially in patients who underwent any corneal surgical procedure,” the researchers said.

The study was published in Ophthalmologica.