Surgical effect of phacoemulsification for cataract patient with low endothelial cell density

Abstract

Objective To evaluate surgical effect of phacoemulsification (Phaco) technique for cataract patient with low corneal endothelial cell density,and to discuss the methods to reduce the corneal endothelial cell lossing.Methods Cataract patients (35 eyes) with corneal endothelial cell density lower than 1000/mm2 underwent Phaco and intraocular lens implantation( Phaco + IOL).The changes of visual acuity,corneal endothelial cell counting and the surgical complications were observed.Results The visual actiuy improved in all eyes 3 months after the operation.The best corrected visual acuity(BCVA) higher than 0.3 in 32 eyes(91.4％ ) and higher than 0.5 in 19 eyes (57.1％ ).No corneal decompensation was observed.The loss ratio of corneal endothelial cells density was 6％ -11％ ( mean 8.5％ ).Conclusion Some cataract patients with corneal endothelial cell density lower than 1000/mm2 can gain better visual acuity with Phaco + IOL. Key words: Cataract; Phacoemulsification; Cornea; Corneal endothelial cell; Low density