WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

*Rawan Harfoush, Yusuf Suleiman and Mahmoud Rajab

ABSTRACT

Objective: To study the relationship between axial length of the eye, corneal curvature, horizontal corneal diameter, central corneal thickness and corneal endothelial cell morphology in young adults. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 616 eyes of 308 patients attending the ophthalmological clinic at Tishreen University Hospital were studied between the years 2022-2023. All participants underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination including examination for refractive errors, anterior and posterior sections of the eye, and intraocular pressure in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, with the use of non-contact specular microscopy (Perseus, Cso, Italy), where an average of three measurements were taken for central corneal endothelial density (ECD), percentage of hexagonal cells (HEX), and coefficient of variation (COV). The corneal topography device (CSO/Sirius) was used to measure the corneal curvature CC in mm, its horizontal diameter HCD in mm, and its central thickness CCT. While an Aviso ultrasound A scan was used to measure the axial length AL in mm. Results: The values of endothelial cell density (ECD) and percentage of hexagonal cells (HEX) decreased statistically significantly, while the value of the coefficient of variation (COV) increased with the increasing of axial length, increasing of corneal flattening and its diameters as well as decreaseing in its central thickness. Conclusion: As the eyeball elongates, the cornea becomes more flatness and its diameters increase while its thickness decreases, with significant changes occur in the morphology of the corneal endothelial cells. These changes should be taken into account in planning for refractive surgeries and for comparison in reference studies.

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