Frequency of corneal dystrophies on the basis of histopathology in surgically removed corneas.

OBJECTIVE To assess the frequency of corneal dystrophies on the basis of histopathology in surgically-removed corneas. METHODS The descriptive study was conducted at Foundation University Medical College, Islamabad, and Al Shifa Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from May to October 2011, and comprised post-keratoplasty corneal specimen irrespective of age and gender. The surgically-removed corneas were processed according to the standard guidelines of histopathological processing. The histopathological sections were examined for various corneal dystrophies. Data was recorded on a proforma and was analysed using SPSS 17. RESULTS Of the 63 patients in the study, 12(19%) were diagnosed as having corneal dystrophies. In these 12 patients, 6(50%)were diagnosed as stromal corneal dystrophies and 5(42%)had posterior corneal dystrophies, and 1(8%)had anterior corneal dystrophy. CONCLUSIONS Histopathological examination of corneas is a reliable method to diagnose and classify corneal dystrophies.