[Morphometric and qualitative changes in corneal endothelium in primary chronic open angle glaucoma].

In a prospective study begun in March 1986, specular-microscopic endothelial cell photographs were taken in non-selected patients with primary, chronic, open-angle glaucoma who had not had intraocular surgery. Age-matched cataract eyes with normal intraocular pressure served as the control group. Standard specular microscopic examinations (Bio Optics LSM 2000 and Clinical Specular Microscope Camera) to evaluate the endothelial cell count, as well as the morphology and quality of the endothelium, revealed the following results. In 3204 normal eyes with normal intraocular pressure (10-20 mmHg), the cell count was observed to be age-dependent and to have an average value of 2293 +/- 394 cells/mm2; the cells generally had a regular arrangement. In 302 eyes with primary, chronic, open-angle glaucoma with intraocular pressures between 19 and 32 mmHg, there was a significant (p less than 0.001) reduction, in cell count to 1582 +/- 248 cells/mm2. The cell picture was composed of clearly enlarged, but regularly arranged cells. A statistical evaluation (matched age groups, etc.) was carried out using the Mann-Wilcoxon rank test.