title: Diamond burr treatment of poor vision from anterior basement membrane dystrophy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the outcome of patients with decreased vision associated with anterior basement membrane dystrophy (ABMD) managed with diamond burr (DB) polishing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective nonrandomized case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  A chart review of all patients with ABMD who underwent epithelial debridement and DB polishing to treat visual disturbances resulting from corneal epithelial irregularity was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten patients' charts were analyzed. The mean age was 57.4 years. DB treatment was performed in 13 eyes. The average preoperative BCVA was 0.40 (20/50). At the last follow-up (mean 21.8 months) the average visual acuity of these patients was 0.88 (20/23), significantly better than pre-operative readings (P < .001). There was no recurrence of dystrophic changes in the treatment zone seen with the slit lamp during the follow-up period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, DB polishing was shown to be an effective and safe treatment for decreased vision caused by to ABMD over an average follow-up of 21.8 months.
authors.affiliation: Cornea Service, Wills Eye Hospital, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Tzelikis
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Rapuano
authors.forename: Kristin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hammersmith
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Laibson
authors.forename: Elisabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000601:surgery; D003317:Corneal Dystrophies, Hereditary / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D019781:Corneal Topography; D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D014792:Visual Acuity