Lattice corneal dystrophy: a source of confusion.

Published descriptions of families with lattice dystrophy of the cornea reveal a much more varied clinical course and a more pleomorphic corneal picture than the rather stereotyped textbook descriptions would suggest. This report describes a family with lattice dystrophy of unusually late onset with retention of useful vision into the 7th decade. Herpes simplex keratitis was misdiagnosed in 5 members of the family by different ophthalmologists, probably because the typical lattice lines were fine and visible only by retroillumination.