AIM:To observed the variation regularity of corneal endothelial cells in patients with different diabetes duration after phacoemulsification, and investigate the effects of diabetes and its disease duration on corneal endothelial cells.

METHODS: Ninety-seven(135 eyes)cataract patients with diabetes were selected randomly and divided into GroupⅠ(which diabetes duration ≥10a)and GroupⅡ(which diabetes duration <10a)according to their disease duration. Additionally 62(89 eyes)age-related cataract patients were randomly selected as the control group. The corneal endothelial cell density(CD), proportion of hexagonal cell and coefficient of variation(CV)in the three group patients were measured respectively before phacoemulsification and after surgery. And the measurement results were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS: The corneal endothelial CD and proportion of hexagonal cell in the three group were decreased after surgery compared with preoperative. But the CV of corneal endothelial cells was increased on the 1^st wk and in 1^st mo after surgery compared with the preoperative. The difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). The corneal endothelial CD and proportion of hexagonal cell in the two diabetic groups were lower than the control group after surgery. However, the CV of corneal endothelial cells was higher than the control group. The difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the corneal endothelial CD, proportion of hexagonal cell and CV between the two diabetic groups before phacoemulsification(P>0.05). The proportion of hexagonal cell in Group Ⅰ was lower than which in Group Ⅱ after surgery. While the CV was higher than which in Group Ⅱ. The difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Phacoemulsification has some damage on the corneal endothelial. Since the impact of diabetes on the morphology and function of corneal endothelial cell was related to the diabetic duration. So phacoemulsification has more obvious damage on the corneal endothelial in diabetic patients. And the diabetic duration was longer, the damage on the corneal endothelial in phacoemulsification was more easily.