A historical perspective on treatment of Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy: We have come a long way

Abstract

Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy is a hereditary and progressive vision-threatening disease with a high prevalence in our adult population. In the past two decades, endothelial transplantation has dramatically changed the way we treat these patients. Back then, our limited surgical techniques often resulted in less than ideal outcomes. It was unimaginable for our patients to achieve near perfect visual acuity in such a short span of time. Over the years, we have tenaciously refined our surgical techniques to vastly improve patient outcomes, and with the recent advent of Rho-kinase inhibitors, we may even consider delivering a simple injection to our patients in the future. Our purpose is to take a historical perspective on how far we have come in treating this disorder and how rapidly this field will continue to evolve.

Keywords

• Corneal Transplant; Deep Lamellar Endothelial Keratoplasty; Descemet stripping automated Endothelial Keratoplasty; Descemet Stripping Endothelial keratoplasty; Penetrating Keratoplasty; Rho-kinase Inhibitor