Treatment
In case of corneal erosion, a doctor may prescribe eye drops and ointments to reduce the friction on the eroded cornea. In some cases, an eye patch may be used to immobilize the eyelids. With effective care, these erosions usually heal within three to seven days, although occasional sensations of pain may occur for the next six-to-eight weeks. As patients with LCD suffer with dry eyes as a result of erosion, a new technique involving the insertion of punctal plugs (both upper and lower) can reduce the amount of drops used a day, aiding ocular stability.
By about age 40, some people with lattice dystrophy will have scarring under the epithelium, resulting in a haze on the cornea that can greatly obscure vision. In this case, a corneal transplantation may be needed. There have been many cases in which teenage patients have had the procedure, which accounts for the change in severity of the condition from person to person.
Although people with lattice dystrophy have an excellent chance for a successful corneal transplantation, the disease may also arise in the donor cornea in as little as three years. In one study, about half of the transplant patients with lattice dystrophy had a recurrence of the disease between two and 26 years after the operation. Of these, 15 percent required a second corneal transplant. Early lattice and recurrent lattice arising in the donor cornea responds well to treatment with the excimer laser.
Phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) using Eximer laser can restore and preserve useful visual function for a significant period of time in patients with anterior corneal dystrophies.
Read more about this topic: Finnish Type Amyloidosis
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