The relationship between axial ocular measurements and corneal endothelial cells in emmetropic eyes of healthy children of Palestine

Abstract EN

Objective: Firstly, to investigate the impact of central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior camber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), and axial length (AL) on characteristics of corneal endothelial cells in emmetropic eyes of healthy children.

Secondly, to explore the normal distribution values of endothelial cell density (ECD) and morphology, as well as the effect of gender on study parameters.

Method: The school-based cross-sectional study included 118 children, aged 15.

The subjects’ left eyes were examined with a non-contact specular microscope, an ultrasound pachymeter, and an ultrasound A-scan.

The following parameters were measured: ECD, CCT, AL, ACD, LT, mean cell area (MCA), the coefficient of variation (CV), and the percentage of regular hexagonal cells (hexagonality).

SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis.

Results: The mean values in cell density (cell/mm2), MCA (μm2), CV (%), hexagonality (%), AL (mm), ACD (mm), LT (mm), and CCT (μm) in the examined eye were 2955.39 ± 227.7, 342.27 ± 25.6, 35.99 ± 7.3, 57.47 ± 9.3, 23.08 ±0.68, 3.46 ± 0.27, 3.53 ± 0.18, and 539.99 ± 36.7, respectively.

A significant positive correlation was observed between ACD and hexagonality (P < 0.008, R = 0.26).

Linear regression analysis revealed a 4.37 % increase in hexagonality for every 0.5 mm increase in ACD (P = 0.008, R2 = 0.067).

No correlation was observed between CCT, AL, and LT, and ECD and morphology (P > 0.05).

There was a statistically significant difference in CV, hexagonality, and AL between males and females (4.27 ± 1.4%, P = 0.002 < 0.05), (5.63 ± 1.75 %, P = 0.002 < 0.05), and (0.34 ± 0.13 mm, P = 0.010< 0.05), respectively.

Gender did not have a significant effect on the other parameters (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: This research reports the normal values of corneal ECD and morphology, and axial ocular measurements in healthy Palestinian children.

Eyes with deeper ACD have a more regular corneal endothelium hexagonality and a low CV.

There is no correlation between CCT, LT, AL, and ECD and morphology.

Male children have a longer AL.