Abstract
Previous investigations have shown that females have greater corneal astigmatism, defined as the difference in the curvature of the corneal surface along its major meridians, than males. This was thought to be due to softer female corneas and the effect of the upper eyelid in moulding it into a more curved surface, particularly along the vertical meridian. We are not aware of any studies that have investigated the association of lid thickness with corneal astigmatism among the sexes.
A blepharometer was designed and constructed from commercially available parts. The instrument was used to measure lid thickness in 78 male and 62 female patients attending a Saudi Arabian hospital for routine refractive problems. Corneal astigmatism was calculated from keratometer measurements. Although the upper eyelid of males was significantly thicker than their female counterparts, the latter group had a slightly more curved cornea. This apparent inconsistency could be due to softer female corneas. Corneal astigmatism was equal in both groups.