The effect of phacoemulsification on the corneal endothelium.

Endothelial cell densities were measured following intracapsular cataract extraction and phacoemulsification in the same patients. Phacoemulsification caused 29 percent more endothelial cell loss than intracapsular cataract extraction (p less than .001). The degree of endothelial damage with phacoemulsification appeared to be age related and was minimal in the younger patients.