Correlation Between Postoperative Central Corneal Thickness and Endothelial Damage After Cataract Surgery by Phacoemulsification

Cataract surgery facilitates improved visual acuity through extraction of an opacified lens, followed by intraocular lens implantation. An average adult cornea has 2000 to 2500 cells/mm2, a count that diminishes with age with a rate of attrition of approximately 0.3% to 0.5% per year. Long-term postoperative corneal transparency depends on the morphological stability and functional integrity of the corneal endothelium. It is well established that all surgical interventions that require entry into the anterior chamber result in some damage to the corneal endothelium.

Endothelial cell loss results in cell hypertrophy to maintain continuity, resulting in a change in endothelium cell density and morphology. Many studies have assessed the impact of various surgical techniques on endothelial damage and numerous studies have investigated the factors influencing endothelial cell loss after phacoemulsification. The goal of this study is to investigate the correlation of postoperative corneal edema with the reduction of endothelial corneal cell density after phacoemulsification.