RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MORPHOMETRIC OPTIC DISC PARAMETERS, SEX AND AXIAL LENGTH

Optic disc correlations were evaluated in normal eyes by means of comp uter-aided morphometry. Two hundred and thirty-five subjects (144 wome n and 91 men) entered the study. One eye per patient was randomly chos en for statistical analysis. Disc area (P < 0.05) and axial length (P < 0.0001) were statistically different between sexes. There was a corr elation between axial length and both disc area (r for females = 0.55, P < 0.00001; r for males = 0.35, P < 0.0007) and refraction (r for fe males = 0.40, P < 0.00001; r for males = 0.50, P < 0.00001). The main findings of this investigation were that disc area is greater in male than in female eyes (thus clinically confirming the Ishi's and Quigley 's previous observations of autopsy eyes) on the basis of axial length difference between the two sexes, and that disc size correlated with axial length. Disagreements in disc measurements reported in previous studies may be caused by differences in the male/female ratios of thei r samples.