Endothelial corneal damage after neodymium:YAG laser treatment: pupillary membranectomies, iridotomies, capsulotomies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the corneal changes after Nd:YAG laser pupillary membranectomies (group A), iridotomies (group B), and capsulotomies (group C) in a follow-up period of 6 months. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Nd:YAG laser was applied to 3 different groups of patients. Specular microscopy, including the counting of corneal thickness and cell density, the percentage of hexagonal cells, and the cell area, was performed preoperatively and postoperatively.
RESULTS: Some dark areas were recorded in the corneal endothelium in groups A and B. A nonstatistically significant decrease of cell density was recorded by the end of the first month. A significant loss of endothelial cells during the sixth month was recorded in groups A and C.
CONCLUSION: The appearance of dark areas in the corneal endothelium is mainly related to the total energy delivered. The YAG laser treatments do not provoke an immediate and conspicuous loss of the endothelial cells, but may act as a stimulus for an accelerated loss of endothelial cells.