Corneal endothelial cell changes in diabetics versus age group matched nondiabetics after manual small incision cataract surgery

PURPOSE: To assess and compare the endothelial cell changes after manual small incision cataract surgery (SICS) in diabetic patients versus age group matched non-diabetic patients. METHODS: This comparative prospective observational follow-up study included 54 diabetic patients and 52 control patients without diabetes who underwent manual SICS. Preoperative, one day, one week, one month and three months post-surgery assessments of corneal endothelial cell changes were done using specular microscopy. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 20.0, SPSS, Inc.). Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the data between the test group and control group. RESULTS: There was drop in the endothelial density in both the groups postoperatively, with the mean percentage of endothelial loss at three months post- surgery being 27.5% in diabetics and 18.3% in controls. There was also a significant increase in central corneal thickness and coefficient of variance in diabetics as compared to controls at every follow up one day, one week, one month and three months. The percentage of hexagonality was statistically significant at post-operative three months. CONCLUSION: The diabetic endothelium was found to be under greater metabolic stress and had less functional reserve after manual SICS than the normal corneal endothelium.