The cornea in exfoliation syndrome

Exfoliation syndrome (EXS) is a disorder which affects some structures of the eye. We studied the changes of the cornea in patients with EXS and compared with those in normal persons. A prospective study of 96 consecutive patients more than 70 years of age was set up. 48 of them (70 eyes, group A) had exfoliation in one or both eyes and 48 (group B) had no ocular disease other than senile cataract. None of the patients had any systemic disease. The endothelium and thickness of the central cornea were studied. Endothelium of the eyes with EXS showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower cell density than those of group B. Cornea in group A was significantly thicker (p < 0.05) than in group B. The morphology of the endothelium in group A showed a decrease of hexagonal cells and a higher rate of polymegethism compared to group B. Corneal thickness and endothelium showed no significant differences between the eyes with EXS and normal fellow eyes. These results add another risk factor, the fragile cornea, in eyes with EXS, in cataract surgery.