ABSTRACT

To report the diagnosis and effective treatment of corneal edema due to Descemet’s membrane detachment following uneventfully completed phacoemulsification surgery in a case. A 72-year-old female patient was referred to our clinic with a continuing gradual deterioration of vision and diffuse corneal edema in her right eye, 12 days after an uneventful phacoemulsification surgery. Her visual acuity was counting fingers from 2 meters in the right eye and 0.4 in the left eye. Slit lamp examination revealed a corneal edema mostly prominent at the central and medial cornea with a Descemet’s membrane detachment near the medial site port area in the right eye. There was a mild nuclear cataract in the left eye. Intraocular pressures were normal in both eyes. The patient had a medical history of arterial hypertension. Descemet’s membrane detachment which was close to the medial side port area was detected on a detailed slit lamp examination, and anterior chamber tamponade was performed with perfluoropropane (C3F8) under topical anesthesia. At the third postoperative day, her right eye was comfortable, the corneal epithelial edema had almost cleared, and the Descemet’s membrane appeared to be reattached completely with only small wrinkles remaining. Her visual acuity improved to 0.5 in the right eye.