RESUMEN
Objectives To investigate the clinical feature, diagnosis and surgical treatment for macular corneal dystrophy. Design Retrospective case series. Participants 18 patients(36 eyes)with macular corneal dystrophy. Methods The clinical data of patients were studied, including history, visual acuity, slit lamp microscopy, surgical method and follow-up. Main Outcome Measures Slit-lamp microscopic images of corneal dystrophy and graft. Results The patients with macular corneal dystrophy experienced progressive loss of vision. With slit lamp microscope, opacities were observed in the entire thickness of the stroma. Irregular grey-white nodules were noted in the central superficial stroma and peripherial deep stroma. Penetrating keratoplasties were performed in 14 cases (18 eyes). The follow-up was 6-112 months. At the last follow-up, all the grafts were clear. Conclusion Macular corneal dystrophy has typical clinical features. The diagnosis is mainly based on typical clinical manifestations. Penetrating keratoplasty is an effective approach for the treatment of patients with severe macular corneal dystrophy. (Ophthalmol CHN, 2006, 15:169-172 )