Severe FECD increases risk of glaucoma and OHT

Severe Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) increases the risk of developing glaucoma and/or ocular hypertension (G/OHT).

Dr Mehul Nagarsheth et al., Wills Eye Institute/Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, studied a subset of 1610 from the FECD Genetics Multi-Centre Study. Logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, central corneal thickness, IOP, presence of diabetes and time of day of the initial evaluation, were used.

Of the total eyes included in the study, 107 eyes had G/OHT and the prevalence of G/OHT in the control group was 6%. Eyes with a grade of four through to six were more likely to have concurrent G/OHT than eyes with no record of FECD.

Prevalence of G/OHT was lower in index cases with an FECD grade of one to three and family members with a grade of zero through to three. But it was higher in index cases and family members with a grade of four to six. The logistic regression models demonstrated no correlation between sex, diabetes, time of day of evaluation and central corneal thickness with prevalence of G/OHT.

The abstract can be found in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology.