Cornea

Lattice corneal dystrophy

1:366 visual cues2 clinical photosFree lesson

In this image

Each number marks an object in the image and the finding it stands for.

Louvre pyramidLattice corneal dystrophy0:00
FBI agentTGFBI gene mutation0:07
Branching linesThin, branching, refractile central lines; Do not extend to the limbus0:14
Lower hazeInitially clear stroma; Haze develops over time0:40
Red-green applesAmyloid; Congo red-positive birefringence0:48
Floor cracksRecurrent corneal erosions1:09
ReviewEvery marker, in order1:14

Transcript

The narration, grouped by cue. Select a sentence to play from there.

Louvre pyramid0:00
Our scene is lattice at the Louvre. The glass pyramid's lattice brings in lattice corneal dystrophy.
FBI agent0:07
An FBI agent stands beside the pyramid, for the TGFBI gene mutation in lattice corneal dystrophy.
Branching lines0:14
Inside the pyramid, thin glowing lines branch through its center. The clinical lattice lines are thin, branching and refractile. They are central and do not extend to the limbus. In the clinical photograph, look for the branching lines crossing the central cornea, beside the bright slit beam. Compare their thin, intersecting pattern with the glowing lines inside the pyramid. Like those lines, they stay central and spare the limbus.
Lower haze0:40
The lower part of the pyramid is hazy, while the top stays clear. The stroma is clear at first, but haze develops over time.
Red-green apples0:48
Red and green apples sit in the hazy lower section. They stand for amyloid, with Congo red-positive birefringence under polarized light. In this stained corneal tissue from lattice dystrophy, the red patches are amyloid deposits, colored by Congo red. Compare that red color with the red apples in the hazy lower pyramid.
Floor cracks1:09
Look down at the cracks and chips in the stone floor, for recurrent corneal erosions.
Review1:14
Now let's review what we've learned. Lattice corneal dystrophy is linked to the TGFBI gene mutation. Its thin, branching lattice lines are central and spare the limbus, with stromal haze developing over time. The deposits are amyloid, with Congo red-positive birefringence, and recurrent corneal erosions are part of the picture.

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Clinical image credits

Openly licensed photographs used in this lesson, with what was changed.

Fengjiao Zhu, Ming Li, Chun Zhang, Chan Chen, Fangwei Ying, Danyao Nie (2021). In vivo confocal microscopy qualitative investigation of the relationships between lattice corneal dystrophy deposition and corneal nerves.
CC BY 4.0 Article
Exact rectangular crop [0, 0, 595, 460] from 595 × 460 publisher figure. Decoded RGB pixels preserved; no enhancement, arrows, retouching or upscaling.
Matsumoto, Fukuoka, Sotozono (2025). Descemet's Membrane Detachment During Cataract Surgery in Lattice Corneal Dystrophy Type I: Histopathological Analysis of Posterior Corneal Involvement. Figure 4C.
CC BY 4.0 Article DOI
Exact rectangular crop [0, 250, 374, 530] from the 750 × 530 publisher original (Figure 4C), preserving decoded RGB pixels. The authors' own arrows and markings are kept; no other changes, retouching, enhancement or upscaling.