Abstract: Objective To observe the effect of cefuroxime sodium anterior chamber injection on corneal endothelial cells. Design Prospective comparative case series. Participants 100 eyes of 100 patients with age-related cataract who underwent phacoemulsification. Methods Randomly divided into two groups. 50 eyes of 50 cases in the experimental group were injected with cefuroxime sodium 1mg (0.1 ml) into the anterior chamber at the end of phacoemulsification, and 50 eyes of 50 cases in the control group were injected with 0.1 ml of compound sodium chloride solution in the anterior chamber. Both groups of patients were operated by the same surgeon, the same phacoemulsification equipment and the same parameters. Corneal endothelial cell density (CD), corneal endothelial hexagonal cells (HEX), central corneal thickness (CCT) were compared between the two groups at one month after the surgery. Main Outcome Measures CD, HEX, CCT. Results The preoperative CD of the experimental group and the control group were (2472.23±312.24) and (2534.12±324.58)/mm2 (P>0.05), respectively, and the CD at 1 month after surgery were (2338.32±356.89) and (2456.12±375.23/mm2) (P>0.05); the HEX of the experimental group and the control group were (69.21±12.51%) and (73.24±15.68%) (P>0.05) before the operation, and the HEX at 1 month after the operation was respectively (62.82±14.61%), (60.19±16.37%) (P>0.05); the preoperative CCT of the experimental group and the control group were (535.26±34.25) and (527.89±31.11) μm (P>0.05), respectively. The CCT at 1 month was (579.4±24.6) and (571.3±31.2) μm (P>0.05). Conclusion Phacoemulsification for cataract combined with 1 mg cefuroxime sodium injection in the anterior chamber has no significant effect on the count and morphology of corneal endothelial cells. (Ophthalmol CHN, 2021, 30: 275-278)

Key words: cefuroxime sodium, phacoemulsification, corneal endothelial cells