Corneal endothelium evaluation in type I and type II diabetes mellitus

Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the corneal endotheliu m in type I and type II diabetic patients. Methods: Seventy-five diabetics divided into type I and type II groups and 62 healthy volunteers took part in the study. The mean endothelial cell density and morphology, and the cen tral corneal thickness were evaluated and statistical analysis was done. Re sults:All evaluated parameters were found to be significantly different in both diabetic groups with reduction of the mean cell density of 5% in type II and of 11% in type I diabetes with respect to the normal age-matched con trol group. Important alterations of endothelial morphology were observed, The central corneal pachymetry was significantly higher in diabetics, with p < 0.01 in the type I group and p < 0.05 in the type II group. Conclusion: It is concluded that corneal endothelium in diabetices should still be con sidered as a tissue under continuous metabolic stress with consequent high vulnerability, especially in case of any external insult such as a surgical procedure.