Specular microscopic findings of lattice corneal dystrophy.

A Japanese family with 4 members suffering from lattice dystrophy of the cornea is reported. Their central corneas were affected leaving the peripheral zone clear. Corneal lesions were found in the superficial stroma of younger cases and in the deeper stroma of older cases. The proband was a 75 year-old woman who underwent a penetrating keratoplasty. Her corneal specimens revealed amyloid deposits stained with Congo red in the stroma. In specular microscopy, the probands central cornea had a crateriform appearance which had not been reported in the literatures. A few fine short branching lines and crateriform lesions were shown in the superficial stroma of the proband's daughter and only crisscrossing lines could be seen in her granddaughter's cornea.