Corneal Endothelial Cell Density and Morphology in Healthy Chinese Eyes

Abstract

PURPOSE: To describe corneal endothelial cell density and morphology in healthy Chinese eyes. METHODS: Specular microscopy was performed in 1329 eyes of 700 healthy volunteers (M:F, 311:389), 10 to 98 years of age. Parameters studied included endothelial cell density (CD), cell area (CA), coefficient of variation (CV) in cell area, and percent hexagonality. RESULTS: Mean endothelial CD in the study population was 2932 +/- 363 cells/mm2. There was a statistically significant decrease in endothelial CD (P < 0.001; correlation, -0.435) and percentage of hexagonal cells (P < 0.001; correlation, -0.241) with age. Mean CA, CV, and percentage of hexagonal cells were 347 +/- 46 microm2, 33 +/- 5, and 59% +/- 9%, respectively. There was also a statistically significant increase in CA (P < 0.001; correlation, 0.410) and CV (P < 0.001; correlation, 0.251) with increasing age. CONCLUSIONS: Normative data for the endothelium in the Chinese population are reported. Our data add to the knowledge about endothelial cell parameters in Chinese eyes and serve as a baseline for comparative studies with other populations.