[Spontaneous clearing of the cornea with detachment of Descemets membrane]

Detachment of Descemet's membrane (DM) is a rare complication of cataract and glaucoma surgery. Although permanent corneal edema is the usual outcome of a large detachment, spontaneous clearing of the cornea may occur.

A 55-year-old man underwent trabeculectomy in 1991 under local anesthesia. One day later the cornea was edematous, with a large superior DM detachment curling inward in the anterior chamber, limited by a thin blood pigmented line. Two months after cornea had cleared, and remained clear for ten years, with 20/20 visual acuity and intraocular pressure of 14mmHg.

Small detachments of DM after surgery are not rare and usually reattach spontaneously. However, extensive detachment results in overlying corneal edema and may require surgical reapposition. In our case, the cornea cleared spontaneously in the absence of DM repositionning, as denuded corneal stroma may be covered by newly regenerated DM. Before any surgical repair of DM detachment, one should consider spontaneous clearing of the cornea as a possible outcome.