Abstract
Purpose :
The density and morphology of corneal endothelial cells are important factors for endothelial function and the maintenance of corneal clarity. Although they reportedly differ among populations, only a few previous studies have examined them in ophthalmologically healthy young patients. Therefore, we aimed to examine the density and morphology of corneal endothelial cells in healthy Japanese.
Methods :
This observational study included eyes without ophthalmologic diseases other than refractive errors examined at the Miyata Eye Hospital between 1996 and 2015. The eyes with a previous history of ophthalmologic diseases or contact lens wear were excluded. Medical records of patient age, corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation (CV), the appearance rate of hexagonal cells (6A), and cell area were retrospectively reviewed. The corneal endothelium data were obtained using non-contact specular microscopy.
Results :
We included 16842 eyes of 8421 patients in the study (mean age, 19.6±8.7 years): 6668 eyes of 3334 male patients and 10174 eyes of 5087 female patients. The mean ECD of patients aged 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70 years was 3312.0±319.1, 3168.0 ± 284.0, 3032.8±285.9, 2891.1±284.9, 2815.8±294.6, 2741.2±278.3, and 2771.3±297.9 cells/mm2, respectively. The relationship between ECD and age was expressed as Y = -12.63 X + 3364.53 (R2 = 0.359, p < 0.001). The relationship between CV and age was expressed as Y = 0.158 X + 24.50 (R2 = 0.267, p < 0.001). The relationship between 6A and age was expressed as Y = -0.31 X + 72.08 (R2 = 0.232, p < 0.001). The relationship between endothelial cell area and age was expressed as Y = 1.45 X + 295.97 (R2 = 0.387, p < 0.001). The reduction in ECD per year was significantly higher in patients younger than 21 years than in those aged 21 years or older (-19.4 cells/mm2/year and -10.1 cells/mm2/year, p < 0.001).
Conclusions :
ECD, 6A, CV, and cell area are significantly related to age. Because the reduction in ECD per year is significantly higher in patients younger than 21 years than in those who are older, it is important to monitor corneal endothelial cells in young patients.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.