The cornea can be affected by various inherited dystrophies which can lead to blurry vision, dry eyes, and other troubling symptoms. The symptoms that are experienced will vary depending on the corneal dystrophy present. Usually, the treatment for these types of corneal dystrophies is to manage the symptoms until vision or eye health becomes too compromised and a transplant is required.
Types of Inheritance Patterns
Any condition which is hereditary will fall into one of two main inheritance patterns.
The condition will be present in all children with the genes for the condition and the inheritance be an autosomal dominant pattern.
The alternative is the condition could be present only if both genes are affected and would require a parent to be a carrier for the condition. This is an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern.
If the condition is autosomal dominant inheritance, there will not be a carrier of the gene without having the condition.
Corneal dystrophies have both autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive inheritance.
Autosomal Dominant Corneal Dystrophies
The majority of corneal dystrophies are inherited as autosomal dominant conditions.
The most common of these conditions is epithelial basement membrane dystrophy, but others include posterior polymorphous dystrophy, lattice dystrophy, granular dystrophy, and Schnyder dystrophy.
Epithelial basement membrane dystrophy is characterized by changes in the appearance of the cornea which can appear as fingerprints or snail tracking.
Posterior polymorphous dystrophy is characterized by a thickening of the inner layers of the cornea and the associated changes from the thickening.
The other autosomal dominant corneal dystrophies are similar and are noted by having deposits in the center layer of the cornea. The types of deposits are the distinguishing characteristic of each different dystrophy.
Autosomal Recessive Corneal Dystrophy
Single corneal dystrophy which is inherited as an autosomal recessive condition is called macular dystrophy.
This dystrophy is similar to autosomal dominant dystrophies which include a deposition of material in the corneal stroma.
Macular dystrophy is much less common than other corneal dystrophies due to its inheritance pattern.
Symptoms of Corneal Dystrophies
The most common symptoms with all of these corneal dystrophies are blurry vision and dry eyes.
The changes to the cornea can cause the cornea to become slightly hazy or cloudy and result in blurry vision.
Additionally, the changes to the function of the cornea can lead to dry eyes or irritation from dryness.
The symptoms are generally worse in the morning as the eyes may dry out during the night.
A more severe complication of these corneal dystrophies is the potential for recurrent corneal erosions.
A recurrent corneal erosion occurs when the epithelium of the cornea becomes damaged and then is unable to heal fully and properly.
Since the defect does not heal fully, when the eyelids blink or are opened after sleeping, it can reopen the wound on the cornea.
Treatment for Corneal Dystrophies
Corneal dystrophy is treated based on the symptoms and complications that accompany the dystrophy.
Usually, artificial tears can be used for both the blurry vision and dry eyes that can occur.
If recurrent corneal erosions occur, they are treated with bandage contact and medication in eye drops.
Dr. Nathan Abraham and the staff of the Abraham Eye Center specialize in cataract surgery, LASIK, PRK, and various corneal surgeries. Call our ophthalmologist in Valencia, CA today at 661-977-7377 or schedule an appointment online if you are interested in Corneal Dystrophy. Our eye doctor provides only the highest quality eye care and surgical services amongst eye doctors in the Valencia California area.
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