Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss Following Airbag Injury

PURPOSE: To report a rare incidence of corneal endothelial cell loss following airbag injury. OBSERVATION: A 27-year-old female who sustained a motor vehicle accident with airbag deployment presented with hand motion vision in the left eye. Ocular examination demonstrated corneal abrasion, significant corneal stromal edema with descemet folds, and a central pachymetry of 999 µm. The patient was managed with topical steroids and antibiotic drops. One week later, specular microscopy revealed a central endothelial cell count of 2200/mm(2) with pleomorphism, polymegathism, and a decreased central corneal thickness of 569 µm. A repeat of specular microscopy 6 months later showed a decreased central endothelial cell count of 1611/mm(2) with recovered visual acuity of 20/30. CONCLUSION: Corneal endothelial loss is a severe complication of ocular airbag injury. Serial ophthalmic assessment is recommended because endothelial cell loss may continue for some time after the initial impact.