Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2026
Full-Field Optical Coherence Microscopy for Histology-Like Analysis of Stromal Features in Corneal Grafts
Published on: October 21, 2022
Determinants of posterior corneal optical densitometry and their relationship with endothelial morphology
Deniz Kilic1, Berkay Akmaz2, Mustafa Aksoy2,3
1Department of Ophthalmology, American Hospital, İzmir, Turkey. dnz_kilic@hotmail.com.
Purpose:
To investigate the relationship between corneal optical densitometry (COD) and endothelial morphologic parameters, and ocular aberrations, with particular emphasis on posterior corneal zones, and to explore associations between COD and corneal optical aberrations.
Methods:
This retrospective cross-sectional study included 108 eyes of 55 subjects. Corneal densitometry was assessed using Scheimpflug tomography, and endothelial cell density (ECD) and morphologic parameters, including coefficient of variation (CV), hexagonality (HEX), and cell-area indices, were obtained using non-contact specular microscopy. Associations between COD and endothelial parameters were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models with subject-specific random intercepts to account for inter-eye correlation. Age, sex, central corneal thickness (CCT), and relevant endothelial variables were included as fixed effects.
Results:
Age was independently associated with global COD (β = 0.299; 95% CI, 0.220-0.378; P < 0.001) and posterior COD in the 0-2 mm (β = 0.079; 95% CI, 0.042-0.116), 2-6 mm (β = 0.119; 95% CI, 0.077-0.161), and 6-10 mm zones (β = 0.370; 95% CI, 0.277-0.463; all P < 0.001). ECD was not independently associated with global or posterior COD (all P > 0.05). Exploratory analyses showed inverse associations of maximum cell area with global COD (β=-0.0014; P = 0.034) and posterior 6-10 mm COD (β=-0.0026; P = 0.008), while CV was inversely associated with posterior 6-10 mm COD (β=-0.097; P = 0.047). These morphologic associations were not retained in the one-eye sensitivity analysis. No consistent association was identified between COD and optical aberrations.
Conclusions:
Age was the most consistent determinant of global and posterior COD, whereas ECD was not independently associated with densitometry. Selected endothelial morphometric parameters showed exploratory zone-specific associations, although these were not robust in the one-eye sensitivity analysis. COD may therefore provide information distinct from ECD; however, longitudinal studies are needed to determine the clinical significance of posterior COD in endothelial assessment.
