Corneal Dystrophies

Corneal dystrophies have classically referred to inherited, bilateral disease without systemic findings, although there are several exceptions to this definition. Hereditary pattern is not present in most patients with epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD). Unilateral corneal changes may be found in some patients with posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy (PPCD). TGFBI gene mutation (p.His572del) is associated with a unilateral, late-onset variant of lattice corneal dystrophy. Among all dystrophies, macular corneal dystrophy and posterior amorphous corneal dystrophy are associated with decreased corneal thickness. The International Committee for Classification of Corneal Dystrophies (IC3D) was created in 2005 to revise the corneal dystrophy nomenclature and create a current and accurate corneal dystrophy classification system. Evidential categories were created in the IC3D classification for reflecting the natural evolution of a corneal dystrophy and indicate the level of evidence supporting the existence of a given dystrophy.

Comparative analysis of ultrasound and femtolaser-assisted phacoemulsification in patients with primary endothelial Fuchs corneal dystrophy

Comparative analysis of ultrasound and femtolaser-assisted phacoemulsification in patients with primary endothelial Fuchs corneal dystrophy

Lower Fractions of TCF4 Transcripts Spanning over the CTG18.1 Trinucleotide Repeat in Human Corneal Endothelium

Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is a bilateral disease of the cornea caused by gradual loss of corneal endothelial cells. Late-onset FECD is strongly associated with the CTG18.1 trinucleotide repeat expansion in the Transcription Factor 4 gene (TCF4), which forms RNA nuclear foci in corneal endothelial cells. To date, 46 RefSeq transcripts of TCF4 are annotated by the National Center of Biotechnology information (NCBI), however the effect of the CTG18.1 expansion on expression of alternative TCF4 transcripts is not completely understood. To investigate this, we used droplet digital PCR for quantification of TCF4 transcripts spanning over the CTG18.1 and transcripts with transcription start sites immediately downstream of the CTG18.1. TCF4 expression was analysed in corneal endothelium and in whole blood of FECD patients with and without CTG18.1 expansion, in non-FECD controls without CTG18.1 expansion, and in five additional control tissues. Subtle changes in transcription levels in groups of TCF4 transcripts were detected. In corneal endothelium, we found a lower fraction of transcripts spanning over the CTG18.1 tract compared to all other tissues investigated.