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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: Establishing a Practical and Cost-Effective Protocol for Corneal Sensitivity Testing in Clinical Settings
Published on: August 2, 2024
Is Corneal Sensitivity Sex Dependent?
Fatemeh Khezri1, Ali Mirzajani1, Farid Karimian2
1Department of Optometry, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Purpose:
To determine whether corneal sensitivity is different between the two genders.
Methods:
Corneal sensitivity of 130 normal volunteers, including 77 women and 53 men aged 20-35 years, with no history of previous ocular surgery was measured using the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer. Measurements were done on five corneal regions: central, nasal, inferior, temporal and superior. The findings were compared between men and women using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test.
Results:
Mean age of male subjects was 28.0 years and that of female participants was 26.8 years (P = 0.063). There was a significant difference in corneal sensitivity between men and women in the superior (P = 0.013), temporal (P = 0.020) and inferior (P = 0.046) regions. There was no significant difference in corneal sensitivity in the central (P = 0.862) and nasal (P = 0.273) regions.
Conclusion:
Except for the central and nasal regions, corneal sensitivity is significantly higher in men as compared to women. The reason for this difference is not yet evident.
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