[Topography of the corneal endothelium following surgical trauma]

In a prospective study preoperative and postoperative endothelial cell densities were determined after intracapsular cataract extraction with and without implantation of intraocular lenses. There was a characteristic disparity in cell densities measured at different points--near the corneal wound, at the center, and below the center. The cell loss measured near the corneal wound is partly compensated for by elongation of the cells below the center. Consequently, the cell loss is not only made good in the immediate postoperative period; cell migration also continues for prolonged periods of time until homogeneity of the cell pattern is almost completely restored.