What is Bullous Keratopathy?

Our cornea is made up of 5 distinct layers, with the innermost layer, the endothelium, being responsible for controlling the proper hydration of the cornea.  The endothelium is made up of thousands of pump cells that draw fluid out of the cornea to keep our cornea clear.  Patients with Bullous Keratopathy have damaged and lost these pump cells resulting in corneal swelling or edema.  Increased corneal swelling leads to a cornea that forms blisters under the top layer, this is called bullous keratopathy. 

Symptoms

Diagnosis

Your eye doctor can perform a slit lamp exam to look for signs of Bullous Keratopathy.  Specifically, your doctor will look for the presence of corneal swelling and blister formation. Your doctor can further quantify the disease present by measuring the corneal thickness (corneal pachymetry) and by performing an endothelial cell count (count the number of healthy/normal endothelial cells). 

Treatment

Treatment is maybe aimed at improving comfort with an over the counter eye drop or ointment to reduce the symptoms associated with corneal swelling. A corneal transplant (Endothelial Keratoplasty) of the endothelial cells can be performed to restore vision.