Descemet’s Membrane Detachment - An Update

Abstract

Descemet’s membrane is basement membrane of corneal endothelial cells, which in turn are responsible for maintaining corneal transparency. Numerous causes can lead to Descemet’s membrane detachment (DMD), with the most common etiology being post-surgical. Older age, blunt instruments and faulty technique predispose to DMD. DMD management is an emergency in order to avoid permanent damage leading to scarring of cornea. Various classifications of DMD and management protocols have been described. DMD should be suspected in cases of unexplained edema after surgery. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (ASOCT) is the most important investigation to pick up DMD and also quantify its extent. Desmetopexy with air/gas is initial treatment of choice, could be aided by viscoelastic/suture fixation. Non responsive cases might need endothelial keratoplasty.

Keywords

• descemet’s membrane detachment
• anterior segment optical coherence tomography
• help algorithm