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  • Can Fuchs’ damage the eye like glaucoma does?


    Question:

    Can swelling of the cornea from Fuchs's dystrophy cause an increase in eye pressure severe enough to cause damage to the eye like glaucoma does?


    Answer:

    Patients with Fuchs' dystrophy can develop corneal swelling due to cells in the cornea not working effectively. These patients can have an erroneous reading of their intraocular pressure when checked because a swollen cornea is spongier and reads lower than the true pressure. But even if the true pressure is higher than the measured pressure, Fuchs' dystrophy does not cause glaucoma.

    A recent study has shown patients with Fuchs' dystrophy have a higher risk of developing glaucoma likely due to some anatomic similarities underlying both conditions, but one condition does not cause the other.


    Answered By:

    Diseases Glaucoma