Evaluation of Visual Quality in Patients With Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy

Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is a bilateral corneal endothelial dystrophy characterized by the deposition of extracellular matrix (guttae), thickening of Descemet membrane, and progressive loss of corneal endothelial cells. Progressive endothelial cellular loss leads to corneal edema and impairs visual function. In eyes with FECD, corneal edema begins in the central cornea and expands into the periphery. FECD is the most common dystrophic reason for corneal transplantation in many countries. Some patients with FECD report visual discomfort despite the absence of corneal edema. Intraocular forward light scatter impairs patients' quality of vision (QOV), and corneal guttae associated with FECD may cause intraocular light scatter and glare, which can be extremely debilitating despite the absence of edema. We recently investigated the effect of the severity of corneal guttae on QOV in patients with mild FECD. It was shown that corneal guttae increased forward light scatter that negatively affected QOV in eyes with mild FECD without severe corneal edema. Therefore, quantification of corneal guttae would be useful to determine surgical indications for eyes with mild FECD. This review discusses QOV in patients with FECD.