Normal corneal endothelial morphology of healthy Saudi children aged 7-12 years

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this study was to describe the corneal endothelial morphology of healthy Saudi children aged 7-12 years and investigate variations on the basis of age and sex.Participants and methodsIn this prospective study of 412 healthy children, one eye was examined of each child. The endothelial cell density (ECD), percentage coefficient of variation (CV), and cell hexagonality (Hex) were determined using a noncontact Nidek CEM 530 specular microscope. An unpaired t-test was used to compare ECD measurements between boys and girls. Descriptive statistics of endothelial characteristics (ECD, CV, Hex) of the right eyes of the children at each age were analyzed for the entire sample using Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman's correlation tests.ResultsThe Kruskal-Wallis test showed statistically significant differences in ECD on the basis of age (P = 0.01) and Spearman's correlation test detected a weak negative correlation between ECD and age (−0.20, P = 0.0001). Analysis of the CV did not indicate any statistically significant differences with age (P = 0.98), but a weak positive correlation was detected between CV and age (r = 0.02, P = 0.69). No significant differences in Hex were observed at each age (P = 0.10), but a weak negative correlation was detected between Hex and age (r = −0.14, P = 0.001).ConclusionIn children, ECD decreases with increasing age whereas CV and Hex do not change significantly with age.