We examined the central corneal endothelium before and eight weeks after cataract extraction and lens implantation in 99 consecutive intracapsular and extracapsular extractions each. There was no statistically significant different between the mean endothelial cell loss of 17.1% in the intracapsular group and 13.6% in the extracapsular group. The variation in individual endothelial cell sizes was less postoperatively in the extracapsular extractions. The central corneal thickness were the same in the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean endothelial cell loss of 17.0% in 24 posterior chamber lenses and 12.1% in 69 transiridectomy clip lenses, both with extracapsular cataract extraction. When combined with intraocular lens implantation, extracapsular cataract extraction, even when performed by surgeons inexperienced with extracapsular techniques, caused no greater corneal endothelial damage than intracapsular extraction.