Fuchs' Dystrophy — When the cornea cannot stay clear

At Eyecare Center of Orange County, Dr. Alexander Bonakdar has cared for patients for more than three decades. Trained at Bascom Palmer, board certified, and trusted by more than ten thousand Orange County patients since nineteen ninety one.

The inner surface of your cornea is lined with cells that pump water out continuously. That pumping is what keeps the cornea transparent.

In Fuchs' dystrophy those cells slowly die off, and they do not regenerate. As their numbers fall, the cornea holds water and starts to cloud.

The classic clue is vision that is worst on waking and clears through the day. Closed eyelids stop water evaporating overnight.

It is inherited and more common in women. If a parent has it, it is worth being checked, because early change is easy to measure.

Ask us to count the cells on the inner surface of your cornea. We can measure them and track them over the years.