Meesmann corneal dystrophy

Meesmann corneal dystrophy is a rare superficial corneal dystrophy that is inherited as an autosomal dominant disorder. It is characterized by distinct small roundish to oval blister-like opacities in the central corneal epithelium in both eyes.

The manifestation of the lesions is in infancy. Frequently, patients remain symptom free until middle age. The symptoms of severe forms are mild irritation of the eyes, photophobia, temporary blurred vision and irregular astigmatism. In part, a slight gray turbidity of the central cornea is detected. This is triggered by subepithelial scarring.

The cause of the disease are mutations in the genes KRT§ and KRT12, both of which code for the subunits of the cytokeratin in the corneal epithelium.