- With Mayo Clinic emeritus ophthalmologist
Dennis Robertson, M.D.
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Dennis Robertson, M.D.
Dennis Robertson, M.D.
Dennis M. Robertson was born in South St. Paul, Minn., and grew up in a musical family on the Mississippi River. He completed his undergraduate and graduate training at the University of Minnesota, where he received a B.A., B.S. and M.D.
Following an internship at San Bernardino County Hospital in California, he worked for two years on Indian reservations under the umbrella of the U.S. Public Health Service. He later completed a residency in ophthalmology at Mayo Clinic and pursued postgraduate fellowship training in vitreoretinal disorders at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. He returned to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he worked as a consultant from 1967 until retiring from clinical activities in December 2007.
His studies included a sabbatical during 1987 and 1988 at Moorfields and St. Bartholomew’s hospitals in London. His scientific interests have been chiefly in disorders of the retina and vitreous and ocular oncology. In 1999, he became the recipient of the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Professorship.
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Question
Fuchs' dystrophy: How is it treated?
What is Fuchs' dystrophy? How is it treated?
Answer
from Dennis Robertson, M.D.
Fuchs' dystrophy is an inherited disorder that affects the cornea — the transparent front surface of your eye. Eventually, the disorder can lead to blindness. The exact cause isn't known.
In Fuchs' dystrophy, the cells that line the back surface (endothelium) of the cornea slowly deteriorate. The primary task of the endothelium is to remove excess fluid from the cornea to maintain its transparency. Destruction of the endothelial cells impairs this function. As a result, fluid builds up in the cornea. This causes swelling, which reduces the transparency of the cornea and causes blurred vision.
Signs and symptoms of Fuchs' dystrophy usually appear after age 50. In the early stages of the disease, you may wake up with blurred vision that gradually improves during the day. As the disease progresses, you may experience longer periods of impaired vision. You may also have eye pain caused by the eruption of tiny blisters (epithelial blisters) on the surface of the cornea. Eventually, blindness can result.
Treatment of Fuchs' dystrophy may include:
- Eyedrops or ointments to reduce the fluid content in the cornea
- Use of a warm hair dryer, held at arm's length or directed across the face, two or three times a day to evaporate excess fluid in the cornea
- Soft contact lenses to improve vision and reduce discomfort
- Surgery to cover the cornea with a thin membrane (conjunctival flap) to reduce pain
- Cornea transplant
