Diurnal changes of corneal epithelial and stromal thickness maps and visual quality in mild form of Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy

• Published in: Indian journal of ophthalmology Vol. 73; no. 1; pp. 122 - 127
• Main Authors: Krolo, Iva, Bećirević, Aida Kasumović, Radman, Ivana, Kasumović, Armin, Matoc, Ines, Guarro, Idoia Goñi, Sabol, Ivan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Wolters Kluwer - Medknow 01.01.2025; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Edition: 2
• Subjects: Acuity; Adult; Aged; anterior segment optical coherence tomography; Circadian Rhythm - physiology; Contrast Sensitivity - physiology; Cornea; Corneal diseases; Corneal dystrophy; Corneal Stroma - pathology; Endothelium; epithelial corneal maps; Epithelium, Corneal - pathology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy - diagnosis; Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy - physiopathology; fuchs’ corneal dystrophy; Health aspects; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Original Article; Physiological aspects; Prospective Studies; Sensitivity analysis; stromal corneal maps; Structure-function relationships; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods; Vision; Visual Acuity - physiology; visual quality; Croatia; Fuchs' corneal dystrophy; visual quality; Anterior segment optical coherence tomography; stromal corneal maps; epithelial corneal maps
• DOI: 10.4103/IJO.IJO_282_24
• ISSN: 0301-4738; 1998-3689

Purpose: To investigate the functional and structural daily variations in eyes with a mild form of Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). Methods: This prospective study included 30 eyes with the mild form of FECD. Subjects underwent functional and structural testing at 8 AM, 2 PM, and 8 PM. Testing included measurement of uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), best corrected twilight vision (TV), and contrast sensitivity function (CSF) testing (Vista Vision Far-Pola, DMD MedTech charts). Corneal epithelial and stromal parameters were evaluated with anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AngioVue, AvantiRTVue-XR; Optovue, CA, USA). Results: UDVA, TV, and CSF for spatial frequencies B, C, and F showed significant changes during the day, with the lowest values in the morning (P < 0.0001 for UDVA, P = 0.0109 for TV, and P < 0.0001, P = 0.0126, and P = 0.0471 for the three spatial frequencies, respectively). There was no significant change in epithelial parameters between visits. Central corneal thickness showed significant decrease during the day (P < 0.0001), as did the central stromal thickness on the 5- and 7-mm maps (P = 0.0002 and P < 0.0001, respectively), stromal thickness in the superior section of the 5-mm map (P = 0.0107), stromal thickness in the inferior section of the 7-mm map (P = 0.0002), and minimal stromal thickness on both maps (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: A significant negative correlation was found between central stromal thickness and TV, implying that simultaneous evaluation of corneal layers and visual quality may be useful in assessing FECD.