Morphological variations in corneal endothelium following keratophakia and keratomileusis

We studied in vivo endothelial cell morphology, using the specular microscope, in both eyes of 31 patients who underwent refractive keratoplasty at the Clinica Barraquer. The postoperative cell density following myopic and hypermetropic keratomileusis was reduced when compared to preoperative figures in the same eye or unoperated fellow eye. The reduction was greatest when hypermetropic keratomileusis was combined with cataract extraction at the same procedure. None of the cases developed structural abnormalities or sequelae of inflammatory reaction, such as precipitates on the endothelium.