Climatic Droplet Keratopathy

Abstract

The band-shaped bilateral corneal opacities that sometimes develop in certain geographically defined parts of the world are characterized by the deposition of droplets of an amorphous "hyaline" material within the superficial stroma. Commonly, there is an associated epithelial abnormality which may vary from excessive desquamatization and attenuation to individual cell keratinization and epitheliosis. Histochemical staining methods and electron microscopy indicate that the droplets are composed of a protein which has many of the characteristics of a keratin precursor or variant.