Corneal dystrophy
Overview
Corneal dystrophy is a group of disorders, characterised by a noninflammatory, inherited, bilateral opacity of the transparent front part of the eye called the cornea. It is commonly seen in humans as well as dogs. It is rare in cats.
Symptoms
* Visual impairment * Eye pain * Episodic eye pain
Diagnosis
Fuchs’ is detected by examining the cornea with a slit lamp microscope that magnifies the endothelial cells thousands of times. The health of the endothelium is evaluated and monitored with pachymetry and specular microscopy.
Prognosis
Early stages may be asymptomatic and may not require any intervention. Initial treatment may include hypertonic eyedrops and/or ointment to reduce the corneal edema and may offer symptomatic improvement prior to surgical intervention. With penetrating keratoplasty (corneal transplant), the long term results are good-excellent. Recent surgical improvements have been made which have increased the success rate for this procedure. However, recurrence of the disease in the donor graft is not ruled out.
Treatment
Suboptimal vision caused by corneal dystrophy usually requires surgical intervention in the form of corneal transplantation. Penetrating keratoplasty is commonly performed for extensive corneal dystrophy. Corneal dystrophy in dogs usually does not cause any problems and treatment is not required