Updated classification gives order to corneal dystrophy
An updated classification of corneal dystrophies will help clinicians with properly differentiating and naming the disorders.
Reviewed by Jayne S. Weiss, MD
New Orleans-What’s in a name? Would Schnyder corneal dystrophy (SCD) by any other name cause as much vision loss? Perhaps, said Jayne S. Weiss, MD, but it might not be properly diagnosed.
Too often the condition has been referred to as Schnyder crystalline corneal dystrophy, leading clinicians to misdiagnose patients who had no crystals in their corneas, said Dr. Weiss, chairman, Department of Ophthalmology, Louisiana State University, New Orleans.
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And that’s only one example of many confusing and misleading names of dystrophies, she said. Dr. Weiss has led an effort to properly differentiate and name corneal dystrophies.
“If we don’t even know what we’re looking at, how in the world will we ever make any headway into scientific investigation for a better treatment or prevention?” she asked. “That ultimately, as a clinician scientist, was my goal for this.”
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In 2005, she organized the International Committee for the Classification of Corneal Dystrophies (IC3D), whose results were first published in 2008. Between 2008 and 2012, new information about the dystrophies became available so Dr. Weiss then led the update effort of the IC3D and presented the new document at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.
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The updated classification appears in Cornea under the title “IC3D classification of corneal dystrophies-edition 2,” and is most easily accessed by selecting the publisher’s button in its