Occult Descemet's membrane detachment after phacoemulsification surgery mimicking pseudophakic bullous keratopathy

AbstractWe herein report two cases of occult Descemet's membrane detachment (DMD) after phacoemulsification surgery, which initially presented as persistent corneal edema and had been considered as pseudophakic bullous keratopathy. The patients were thus scheduled to receive corneal transplantation. For Case 1, DMD was incidentally detected by slit-lamp examination 2 months postoperatively, only when part of the cornea became clearer. For Case 2, anterior segment optical coherence tomography demonstrated extensive DMD, which had lasted 5 months after the operation. DMDs in both patients had been successfully attached after descemetopexy. Occult DMD should be suspected in patients with persistent severe corneal edema after phacoemulsification surgery. Corneal transplantation may be avoided by timely diagnosis and treatment of DMD