Congenital aphakia linked to sclerocornea: a case report

Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose:The authors present a case report of a patient with sclerocornea and congenital aphakia. Methods:An infant with congenital bilateral sclerocornea was admitted to our hospital. Since dense opacification of both corneas prevented adequate examination of both anterior and posterior segments of the eye ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) was performed. Results:The peculiarity of the case is represented by the sclera–like alteration of the entire cornea of both eyes. The datum of particular importance is the lack of the lens (congenital aphakia), which was revealed by UBM. Conclusions:The authors confirm the importance of UBM in cases where clinical examination of the anterior segment is not possible. This also allows to identify any structural anomalies. In the case we studied UBM allowed us to make the differential diagnosis between two important ocular dysgeneses: Peters’ anomaly and sclerocornea, confirming the latter.

Keywords: cornea: stroma and keratocytes • crystallins • anterior segment