Corneal endothelial cell density and morphology in normal Malay eyes

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Science
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Corneal endothelial cells are crucial for maintaining corneal clarity.
• Age-related changes in corneal endothelial cell density and morphology are well-documented in various populations.
• Understanding these changes in specific ethnic groups, like Malays, is important for clinical relevance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize corneal endothelial cell density (CD) and morphology in Malay eyes.
• To investigate the correlation between age and corneal endothelial parameters in this population.
• To determine if gender influences corneal endothelial cell characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Non-contact specular microscopy was utilized.
• The study included 125 eyes from 125 Malay volunteers aged 20-87 years.
• Parameters assessed included endothelial cell density, mean cell area, coefficient of variation in cell area, and percentage of hexagonal cells.

Main Results:

• Mean endothelial cell density was 2648 +/- 310 cells/mm(2).
• A significant decrease in endothelial cell density and coefficient of variation was observed with increasing age.
• Mean cell area significantly increased with age, while hexagonal cell percentage showed no significant correlation with age.

Conclusions:

• Endothelial cell density consistently decreases with advancing age in the Malay population.
• Gender did not show a statistically significant impact on endothelial cell density.
• These findings contribute to the understanding of age-related corneal changes in a specific ethnic group.