Would laser eye surgery now, affect fuchs dystrophy in the future?

Question

my father has fuchs dystrophy in his eyes, this is a hereditary condition, what would the implications for in my early 20's having laser eye surgery now, be on my suffering from this condition later in life?

thanks

Answer 1

Hi,

If you live in the UK, may I suggest that you look at the following website and perhaps contact the surgeon, Mr Chad Rostron directly for advise on the treatment either of Fuch's Dystrophy and or the risks of having laser treatment performed at this stage.

Home page: http://www.chadrostron.co.uk/

Treatment of Fuch's: http://www.chadrostron.co.uk/Cornea/DSAE...

Hope this helps

Answer 2

Since you have a genetic predisposition for Fuchs' (Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy) you would not be considered a candidate for laser eye surgery.

Fuchs' is a rare genetic disease which affects the innermost layer of the cornea called the endothelium. The endothelium is covered with thousand of cells which pump water out of the cornea to help keep our vision clear. As we age these cells begin to die off naturally at a slow rate never really affecting our vision. With Fuchs' however, these cells die off at a much more rapid pace making it hard for the remaining cells to pump out water, causing distorted vision. Vision may eventually become so impaired that corneal transplants are needed.

Since the laser is used to reshape the cornea this trauma may cause the endothelial cells to die off at a much more accelerated rate in someone with a pedisposition for Fuchs'. It's possible you may never develop Fuchs' or have such a mild case which will never really affect your vision. But since the odds are 50/50, why take the risk?

Any reputable Ophthalmologist will tell you you are not a candidate for laser surgery. The first surgery was done in 1998, so the long-term results are not known. There have been recent studies which suggest there have been more patients harmed by Lasik surgery that previously known.

I was diagnosed with Fuchs' when I was 37 years old. The first thing the Ophthalmologist told me was I was not a candidate for Lasik. I'm 40 now and have noticed a significant change in the vision of my right eye and will probably need a corneal transplant in the near future.

I've included some helpful links for you. But remember Fuchs' Dystrophy is a rare eye disease. Only 1% of the general population have it. There are too many doctors out there who just don't know enough about Fuchs' or just don't know. So it's very important for you and your father have a good corneal specialist who has experience in all stages of the disease.

Good luck!!!