Examination of the Corneal Endothelium in Pediatric Patients With COVID-19

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection on the corneal endothelium in children. Methods: This retrospective study included 46 pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection and 38 healthy controls. Specular microscopy measurements were analyzed, and measurements were obtained from images showing at least 100 cells with clear borders. Mean endothelial cell density, mean hexagonal cell percentage (HEX), mean coefficient of variation (CV), central corneal thickness, and mean cell area were evaluated. Results: Specular microscopy data showed that the CV values were 2.442±6.517 in the healthy control group (HCG) and 2.659±5.119 in the COVID-19–affected group (CAG) (P=0.003). The hexagonality of the HCG and CAG were 6.916±8.271 and 6.683±5.885, respectively (P=0.011). Conclusion: A decrease in the HEX and an increase in the CV were observed in the corneal specular microscopic examination of children with COVID-19 infection. These results are important in demonstrating the corneal effects of COVID-19 infection in children.