[Relationship between refractive elements and morphometry of corneal endothelial cells in normal eyes of young Japanese].

We analyzed corneal endothelial cells in 1,026 eyes from 12 to 29-year-old patients who had no eye disease except refractive error. Morphometric parameters were examined for their distribution and correlation with refractive elements. The distribution of cell density and hexagonal cells in percentage was normal. The logarithmic value of mean cell area and coefficient of variation (CV) also had normal distribution. There was also significant correlation between aging and morphometric parameters, i.e., positive correlation between the mean cell area and the CV, and negative correlation between the cell density and the hexagonality. There was significant correlation between corneal refraction and morphometric parameters, i.e., negative correlation with mean cell area, and positive correlation with cell density. There was also significant negative correlation between the corneal astigmatism and the hexagonality. Consequently, we suggest that the distribution of each morphometric parameter and the difference in age and refractive elements should be considered when discussing morphometry of the corneal endothelial cells.