Preoperative edema severity affects outcomes after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty for Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy: a cohort study.

Background: In patients with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD), the most beneficial stage to perform Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) remains uncertain. The goal of this study was to compare the surgical outcomes after DMEK in FECD patients with subclinical corneal edema and clinical corneal edema to test the hypothesis of whether performing surgery in subclinical corneal edema stages achieves better surgical outcomes.

Methods: In this prospective, observational, single-institution cohort study, 106 pseudophakic eyes of 85 patients with FECD were divided into two groups depending on the presence of preoperative subclinical and clinical corneal edema.