Clinical features of traumatic corneal endothelial rings.

Abstract

We report the clinical features and the course of traumatic corneal endothelial rings by trauma. Fourteen eyes (of fourteen patients) with traumatic endothelial rings (twelve cases of BB shot injury), were enrolled in this study. With median follow-up interval of 50 weeks, initial and final best corrected visual acuity, presence of combined injuries such as gross hyphema, and time of disappearance of traumatic endothelial rings were recorded. And specular microscopic examination was performed. The duration of existence of traumatic endothelial rings was mean 4.6 days. On the specular microscopic examination, the count of corneal endothelial cells in the injured eye decreased by mean 16.8% (ranged from 1 to 56%) than that in the opposite unjnjured eye. The duration of existence of traumatic endothelial rings was 3.5 days in the group without combined angle recession and was 6.1 days in the group with combined angle recession. We suggest that the possibility of traumatic corneal endothelial rings and resultant endothelial cell loss and their clinical potential should be always kept in mind in ocular trauma, particularly BB shot injury.