Purpose: To investigate the distribution of corneal endothelial cell density (CECD) in middle-aged and elderly Japanese community-dwelling residents.
Subjects and methods: This study included 1,919 community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly Japanese (997 men and 922 women; mean age, 59.0±11.1 years) with no ocular surgical history and who had participated in the second wave (2000-2002) of the National Institute for Longevity Sciences-Longitudinal Study of Aging (NILS-LSA). The data obtained from the right eye were used to classify patients based on age group and sex. CECD was assessed using a specular microscope (SP-2000, Topcon) and classified according to a severity grading for corneal endothelial damage established by a working group of the Japanese Corneal Society. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) (SAS Institute). In a multivariable analysis, CECD was set as the objective variable in a general linear model. The explanatory variables were sex, age group, and the interaction of sex and age group.
Results: The following are the number and rate of grading for corneal endothelial damage: Normal, 1,868 eyes (97.3%); Grade 1,47 eyes (2.4%); Grade 2,4 eyes (0.2%); Grade 3,0 eye (0%); and Grade 4,0 eye (0%). CECD decreased significantly with age (F=5.58, p=0.0002). CECD was significantly higher in men than in women (F=10.35, p=0.0013). CECD decreased at a rate of approximately 0.14% per year.
Conclusion: In the middle-aged and elderly with no ocular surgical history, CECD reduction rate was 0.14% per year, and CECD was slightly significantly lower for women than for men.
Nippon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi (J Jpn Ophthalmol Soc) 127: 741-747,2023.