Corneal lesions in myotonic dystrophy.

Myotonic dystrophy is a disorder ofparticular interest to ophthalmologists since some degree of cataract is almost universal and being manifest early in the course of the disease may first bring the patient to seek medical advice. Other ocular signs include ptosis, blepharitis, extraocular muscle palsies, macular or more widespread retinal disturbance, and (rarely) corneal lesions (Junge, I966). Corneal lesions were first described by von Szily (i 9I8) and other case reports have appeared from time to time (Maillard, I926; Birnbacher, 1927; Vena Rodriguez, 1963; Calmettes, Geraud, and Deodati, I 964). Several workers studying ocular involvement in a large series of patients with myotonic dystrophy have also reported corneal lesions (Klein, in I 958; Pendefunda, Cernea, and Dobrescu, I 964; Junge, I 966; Burian and Burns, 1967) . The following case is that of a patient with established myotonic dystrophy whose presenting symptoms were due to corneal lesions which progressed to such a degree as to require keratoplasty.