Cholesterol turnover in hereditary crystalline corneal dystrophy of Schnyder

A patient with hereditary crystalline corneal dystrophy of Schnyder required penetrating keratoplasty because of poor visual acuity. Blood cholesterol was labeled with 14C-cholesterol and 11 days later a penetrating keratoplasty was done. At the time of surgery, corneal levels of cholesterol were much higher than serum levels, showing that cornea is an active site for the uptake and storage of cholesterol in this disorder.