Age and gender related changes in the retinal vessel diameters in the HEALTHY adults

The aim of the study was to investigate the age and sex related changes in retinal vessel diameters in healthy adults. The study included 320 healthy eyes of 160 healthy individuals aged 18 years and older without systemic, neurologic and ocular diseases who came to Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Training and Research Hospital. The individuals in the study were divided into 4 groups according to age. The 1st group was healthy individuals aged 18-30 years, the 2nd group was healthy individuals aged 31-39 years, the 3rd group was healthy individuals aged 41-49 years and the 4th group was healthy individuals aged 50 years and over. The variables measured in the study are as follows: sum of arteriole diameters in the upper temporal quadrant (AUTQ), sum of arteriole diameters in the inferior temporal quadrant (AITQ), sum of arteriole diameters in the upper nasal quadrant (AUNQ), sum of arteriole diameters in the lower nasal quadrant (ALNQ), sum of venule diameters in the upper temporal quadrant (VUTQ), sum of venule diameters in the inferior temporal quadrant (VITQ), sum of venule diameters in the upper nasal quadrant (VUNQ), sum of venule diameters in the lower nasal quadrant (VLNQ), total number of arteries (TA), total number of veins (TV), ratio of total number of arteries to total number of veins (TA/TV). As a result of study, the difference between genders was found to be statistically significant in the participants forming the 1st group for the AITQ variable, the 4th group fort he VUNQ variable and the 3rd group for the TA variable in the right eye. In the left eye, the difference between genders was found to be statistically significant in the 3rd and 4th group for the AITQ variable and in the 1st group for the VUTQ, TV and TA/TV variables. There was no statistically significant difference between the variables determined in the study and age. KEYWORDS: retina, optical coherence tomography, vascular anatomy.