Corneal valance: a tear film pattern in map-dot-fingerprint corneal dystrophy

A scalloped line of tear film thinning (corneal valance), running horizontally across the top third of the cornea, was readily seen with slit lamp, fluorescein, and blue filter in 25 patients. Careful retrospective examination of these patients revealed barely discernible map and fingerprint lines corresponding to the areas of tear film irregularity. A corneascope photograph suggests that the tear film thinning in corneal valance is caused by localized elevations of the epithelial surface. The importance of corneal valance is that it is easily seen, and makes possible the diagnosis of map-dot-fingerprint corneal dystrophy in cases that might otherwise be misdiagnosed or overlooked.