| Sumario: | Objective: It is well known that gender plays an important role in sensitivity to various drugs, in the etiology and onset of certain diseases and it is one of the main causes leading to structural changes in various tissues. The degenerative effects of aging on some organs may vary in both sexes as well. Cornea is susceptible to the degenerative effects of aging leading to impairment of vision. The aim of the present study is to determine the effects of aging on the structure of endothelial and epithelial layers of cornea comparatively in both sexes. Material and Methods: In the present study, 14 male and 14 female Sprague-Dawley rats have been used. The control group was composed of 10-week-old male (n= 4) and female (n= 4) rats, and the older group was composed of 19-month-old male (n= 10) and female (n= 10) rats. Cornea samples were processed using the routine technique for transmission electron microscopical examination. Results: In the control group it was observed that the epithelial and endothelial layers of the cornea had a normal structure in both sexes. On the other hand, significant degenerative changes in the epithelial layer were detected in the older male group when compared to older female rats (p< 0.05). Distinct degenerative changes were also observed in the endothelial layer in both sexes, however there was no statistically significant difference between the sexes. Conclusion: In the present study it has been shown that aging causes changes in epithelial and endothelial layers of the cornea in both sexes, however the detrimental changes in the corneal epithelium is more significant in older males.
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