title: Corneal endothelial cell density in healthy Caucasian population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To reveal the changes of corneal endothelial characteristics with aging among Caucasian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Non-contact specular microscopy was performed in 564 eyes of 282 healthy Caucasian Turkish patients. Endothelial cell density (MCD), mean cell area (MCA), coefficient of variation (CV) in cell size, percentage of hexagonal cells, and central corneal thickness (CCT) were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age was 42 ± 17.1 (6-85) years. The MCD of the population was 2732 ± 305 cell/mm2(range, 1904-3802 cell/mm2). The MCA was 368 ± 41 m2(range, 263-522 m2). The mean CV in cell size was 34 ± 7 (range, 25-68), the mean percentage of hexagonal cells was 46 ± 8% (range, 25-76%), and CCT was 513 ± 39 (range, 407-623). There was statistically significantly negative correlation (p< 0.05) between age and cell density, hexagonality, and pachymetry. There was statistically significant correlation (p< 0.05) between age and MCA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report the normal values of corneal endothelial characteristics in Caucasian Turkish eyes. Over the age of 20, the MCD of Caucasian eyes is more than the Indian and Iranian eyes and less than the Chinese eyes. Caucasian population's cell density in under the age of 20 is 3101 ± 268 cell/mm2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Afyon Kocatepe University, 03200 Afyon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Rahmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duman
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Düziçi State Hospital, 80600 Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mediha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tok Çevik
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital, 16330 Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sadık
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Görkem Çevik
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Afyon Kocatepe University, 03200 Afyon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Reşat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duman
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Beyoğlu Eye Hospital, 34220 Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: İrfan
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Perente
keywords: Cell density; Corneal endothelium; Specular microscopy