Changes of Corneal Endothelial Cells and Central Corneal Thickness in Patients with Psoriasis

To evaluate corneal endothelial changes and central corneal thickness in patients with psoriasis.Methods: In this study, 90 eyes of 45 healthy persons and 90 eyes of 45 psoriasis patients attending the Eye ambulance and eye clinic at Tishreen University Hospital were studied between the years 2023-2024; all participants underwent a complete ophthalmological examination, including corneal endothelial cell counts Bynon contact specular microscopy(Perseus, CSO, Italy), where the average of three successive measurements of Endothelial Cell Density (ECD), hexogram (EX%), coefficient of variation (CV) and central corneal thickness was taken. The dry eye evaluation was performed with tear break-up(TBUT) and the Schirmer test. Results: The values of endothelial cell density (ECD) and hexagram (EX%) decreased statistically significantly in patients with psoriasis (p=0.002, p=0.0001, respectively). At the same time, the value of the covariance (CV) increased statistically significantly in the psoriasis group (P =0.0001). We did not find statistically significant differences in (CCT) between the two groups. We also found that the PASI score had a negative correlation with (ECD) and (EX%) and a positive correlation with (CV). The mean tear break-up(TBUT) and Schirmer test values were significantly lower in the psoriasis group than in the control group (p=0.0001). Conclusion: The eye examination is important in patients with psoriasis to evaluate the corneal endothelial changes, which have an important role in planning intraocular surgeries in patients with psoriasis.