Inadvertent Detachment of Descemet Membrane and Spontaneous Reattachment Following Cataract Surgery: An Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography (AS OCT) Study

ABSTRACT

Corneal oedema following cataract surgery during the immediate postoperative period is a common clinical problem, often due to endothelial injury due to multi-factorial mechanisms. Descemet’s membrane detachment (DMD) is an underrecognized cause of postoperative corneal oedema. The understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of DMD is still evolving. We report a case of DMD in a 64-year-old female presenting with immediate postoperative corneal oedema, diagnosed and monitored using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS OCT). Various mechanisms have been proposed for surgically induced DMD. We believe that hydration of surgical wounds at the end of surgery can inadvertently cause DMD, if DMD has not been recognized previously. Surgeons should be alert to this cause of DMD when hydrating surgical wounds.

Keywords:

• Anterior segment OCT
• cataract surgery
• descemet membrane detachment
• spontaneous reattachment

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.