title: Pellucid marginal degeneration and scleroderma.
abstract: Systemic scleroderma is a progressive multi-system connective tissue disease. Ocular involvement includes keratoconjunctivitis sicca, progressive shallowing of conjunctival fornices, peripheral ulcerative keratitis and eyelid tightness. No association has been reported between scleroderma and pellucid marginal degeneration, which is a rare bilateral corneal ectasia. Pellucid marginal degeneration is characterised by non-inflammatory and progressive peripheral corneal thinning inferiorly, often with high against-the-rule astigmatism. We report a case of a 55-year-old woman with systemic scleroderma who presented with rapidly progressing against-the-rule astigmatism. The differential diagnosis of peripheral corneal thinning and the challenge of the surgical management of pellucid marginal degeneration are briefly discussed.
authors.affiliation: City Eye Centre, Level 10, 135 Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia.
authors.forename: Freda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sii
authors.forename: Graham A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sanfilippo
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Stephensen
mesh_terms: D001251:Astigmatism / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology*; D003317:Corneal Dystrophies, Hereditary / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D019781:Corneal Topography; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis