Temporary corneal oedema after acute intake of alcohol

A 65-year-old man had diffuse, bilateral corneal oedema after acute intake of alcohol. Three days later the total opacification began to clear from the peripheral area towards the centre of the cornea. One month later both corneas were completely clear, and visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes. Specular microscopy showed in the right eye greatly enlarged endothelial cells, which subsequently shrank, and they showed some pleomorphism six months later. The pleomorphic endothelial cells in the left eye changed little with time. Our findings suggested that the corneal oedema in this patient resulted from temporary endothelial dysfunction with extensive cell loss.