[Corneal endothelial evaluation of diabetic patients after phacoemulsification].

PURPOSE: To determine whether phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation has a greater impact on the corneal endothelium of type 2 diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic patients.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This study compared the endothelial status in 32 diabetics with good glycemic control and 32 non-diabetic patients before and after uneventful phacoemulsification. Central corneal thickness (CCT), central corneal endothelial cell density (CD), hexagonal cell percentage (HEX), and percent coefficient of variation (% CV) were measured using a specular microscope.

RESULTS

Data were matched by age and sex. Diabetics showed a significantly higher loss of endothelial cells compared to non-diabetics. After 3 months, there was a decline of 165 endothelial cells (SD 97) in the diabetic group and 114 (SD 45) in the control group. This was statistically significant (P=0.0065). In addition, diabetics showed a slower recovery trend of endothelial healing as evidenced by a lower CV variation. The CV change was 4.7 in the control group and 3.2 in the diabetic group, which was statistically significant (P=0.023). A significant correlation was found between the energy used and the change in endothelial count as well as the CV in both groups.

CONCLUSION

Despite good glycemic control, diabetics have significantly more endothelial damage compared to non-diabetics with a similar nuclear classification and phacoemulsification energy used. This justifies a more careful use of phacoemulsification energy in diabetics.