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Updated: Mar 27, 2026
Author Spotlight: Anterior HR-OCT as a Non-Invasive Tool for Characterizing Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia
Published on: August 9, 2024
High-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography Findings of Lisch Epithelial Corneal Dystrophy
Cameron Pole1, Adam Sise, Madhura Joag
1*Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL; †Department of Ophthalmology, Miami Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Miami, FL; and ‡Florida Lions Ocular Pathology Laboratory, Miami, FL.
Purpose:
To describe a case of Lisch epithelial corneal dystrophy (LECD) and present its unique characteristics on high-resolution optical coherence tomography (HR-OCT).
Methods:
A 78-year-old man with whorled corneal epithelial opacities in the right eye was referred for the evaluation of ocular surface squamous neoplasia. Clinical evaluation, photographs, and HR-OCT images of the cornea involved were obtained and scrapings of the affected cornea were sent for histopathologic analysis.
Results:
Clinically, the patient presented with an opalescent whirling epithelium in a linear pattern encroaching on the visual axis. HR-OCT showed normal thickness epithelial hyperreflectivity of involved cornea without stromal involvement, along with sharply demarcated borders of unaffected tissue. Histopathologic findings demonstrated vacuolated periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) positive cells throughout the epithelial layers consistent with LECD.
Conclusions:
HR-OCT was able to provide useful information to rule out ocular surface squamous neoplasia and confirm the clinical impression of LECD at the time of clinical examination. HR-OCT shows promise as an adjunctive diagnostic tool for ocular surface lesions and pathologies.
