What is fuchs dystrophy?

Fuchs dystrophy (pronounced fooks dis-tro-fee) also known as Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) (pronounced fooks end-o-thee-lee-al corn-e-al di-tro-fee) is an inherited eye condition, which may cause your cornea to become cloudy. Your cornea is the clear front 'window' of your eye. Fuchs dystrophy affects the innermost layer of your cornea. It can cause you to become sensitive to light and for your sight to become cloudy. It can develop slowly and can affect your vision to a varying degree.

FECD is three to four times more common in women than men, usually affecting both eyes and is typically seen in people in their 40s and 50s. It can also occur at a much earlier age or later on in life.

In some cases FECD can cause you to experience light sensitivity, for further information see What is light sensitivity? or I'm troubled by bright lighting and glare, what can I do?

If you have fuchs dystrophy a corneal transplant can normally make your sight clear again.

For support and advice on Fuchs dystrophy contact Fuchsfriends UK an internet based support group:

Please note Fuchsfriends is not a UK registered charity.

Did this answer your question?

Related questions

Brought to you by