Clinical Ophthalmology (Mar 2016)
Normal corneal endothelial cell density in Nigerians
Abstract
Temitope Ewete,1 Efeoghene Uchenna Ani,2 Adegboyega Sunday Alabi1 1MeCure Eye Center, Lagos, 2Department of Ophthalmology, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria Aim: The aim of the study was to describe the corneal endothelial cell density of adults at the MeCure Eye Center and to determine the relationship between age, sex, and corneal endothelial cell density. Methods: This study was a retrospective study looking at those records of individuals who had undergone specular microscopy or corneal endothelial cell count measurement at the MeCure Eye Center. Results: The endothelial cell characteristics of 359 healthy eyes of 201 volunteers were studied. The mean corneal endothelial cell density (MCD) was 2,610.26±371.87 cells/mm2 (range, 1,484–3,571 cells/mm2). The MCD decreased from 2,860.70 cells/mm2 in the 20–30-year age group to 2,493.06 cells/mm2 in the >70-year age group, and there was a statistically significant relationship between age and MCD with a P-value of <0.001. There was no statistically significant correlation between sex and corneal endothelial cell density (P=0.45). Conclusion: This study shows that endothelial cell density in Nigerian eyes is less than that reported in the Japanese, American, and Chinese eyes, and is comparable to that seen in Indian and Malaysian eyes. Keywords: corneal, endothelial cell density, Nigerian
