Assessment of corneal endothelial cell density and morphology in low and moderate myopic eyes in rural south Indian population

Background: Myopia is a common pathologic change of the eye, especially in Asian countries undergoing rapid development. It is known that Asian people have a higher prevalence of myopia. High levels of myopia are associated with increased risk of cataract, posterior vitreous detachment, retinal tears and retinal detachment, increased risk of choroidal neovascularization, and myopic macular degeneration. Aim: To describe the corneal endothelial density and morphology in patients of low and moderate myopic in rural south Indian population and the relationship between endothelial cell parameters and other factors. Materials and Methods: Totally 100 patients were included. Noncontact specular microscopy was performed after taking a history and testing the visual acuity, intraocular pressure measurement, Schirmer's test and routine eye examination by slit lamp microscope. The studied parameters included mean endothelial cell density (MCD), the coefficient of variation (CV), and percentage of hexagonality. Results: In low myopic eyes the MCD was 2892. 0±146.2/mm2, the mean CV was 38.4± 0.4 and the mean hexagonal appearance of the cell was 53.9± 0.9%. In moderate myopic eyes, the MCD was 35716± 142.0 mm2, the mean CV was 37.9± 3.4% and mean the hexagonal appearance of the cell was 59.83± 3.6. There were statistically significant differences in MCD (p<0.000) and hexagonal appearance of the cell (p<0.005) between low and moderate myopic eyes. Conclusion: The normative data of the corneal endothelium of eyes indicated that statistically, MCD decreased significantly with age. Previous studies have reported no difference in MCD, the percentage of CV, and percentage of hexagonality between genders. Nevertheless, significantly different percentages of CV between genders were presented in this study.