Evaluation of Corneal Endothelium by Specular Microscopy in Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the corneal endothelium of patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PES) by specular microscopy (SM). Materials and Methods: In this prospective controlled study, two groups were formed, namely the PES group and the control group. The right eyes of 50 patients were diagnosed with pseudoexfoliation material by slit lamp biomicroscopy performed in the ophthalmology outpatient clinic, and the right eyes of 50 patients in control group without any health problems were examined. Results: There was no difference between the control and patient groups in terms of gender and age distribution (p>0.005). Statistically, no difference was found between the groups in corneal thickness (p=0.105). However, coefficient of variation, corneal endothelial cell density and hexagonal cell ratio were found to be statistically significant between the two groups. Conclusion: Serious morphological changes occur in the corneal endothelium in patients with PES. Because of these changes in the corneal endothelium, it is recommended to perform specular microscopy measurement before cataract surgery of all patients who have PES detected in their examination.

Keywords

• pseudoexfoliation syndrome
• specular microscopy
• corneal endothelium