Cellular density of normal corneal endothelium.

With the aid of the specular microscope photographs were made of the endothelium of 72 subjects, 41 men and 31 women, aged from 24 to 86 years. The number of endothelial cells was counted by projecting the photographs and counting the cells in a given area. The average variation per eye was 4.9% with a standard deviation of 3.7. A difference in magnification associated with differences in the thickness of the cornea was not found. There was a significant negative correlation (Pearson) between age and cell density: correlation coefficient 0.395, significance P = 0.001. Regression analysis of this correlation gave the following equation: CL = 3081 - 8.8 L, where CL = cell density at age L. The error is 97 cells more or less than this figure.