Snailtracks of the corneal endothelium.

An unusual pattern of corneal endothelial cell alterations has been observed at the slitlamp in eyes following intraocular surgery. Because of their appearance, we have called these changes "snailtracks". We have commonly seen these snailtracks following extracapsular cataract extraction. Similar changes have been noted in cadaver corneas stored in McCarey-Kaufman (M-K) medium. This study presents information which suggests that these changes represent corneal endothelial cell damage.