Etymology of polymegethism.

To the Editor. —Corneal endothelial cell size, shape, and density are important parameters of endothelial function. Rao and colleagues 1 first used the term polymegethism to describe size variation in the endothelial monolayer. Endothelial polymegethism may be seen in several conditions, including aging, contact lens wear, anterior uveitis, glaucoma, and after intraocular surgery and trauma. 2 Contact lens-induced polymegethism has been attributed to endothelial cell hypoxia leading to diminished adenosine triphosphate levels and alterations of calcium metabolism. 2 The word polymegethism is derived from the Greek prefix [unk] (poly), meaning "many" and [unk] (megethos), meaning "size." Megethos should be distinguished from the commonly used Greek word [unk] (megalos), meaning "large." Rao and associates 1 originally used the terms polymegethous and polymegethism , but a subsequent article from the same laboratory used the spellings polymegethism and polymegathism . 3 Recent publications use the spelling polymegathism exclusively. 2 We contend, however, that the original