Contact and noncontact specular microscopy.

A contact specular microscope was compared with a noncontact endothelial camera on 20 eyes of 10 consecutive patients presenting for cataract surgery. No difference was found in the percentage of photographs acceptable for cell counting or the time for photography by one or other camera. A close correlation was found in cell density estimations by the 2 methods. Most patients prefer the noncontact mode of examination.