PMD – What is it?

Author: Dr. Victor Derhartunian 11 January 2024

In addition to keratoconus and corneal ectasia as a complication of LASIK, PMD (pellucid marginal corneal degeneration) is one of the thinning corneal diseases.
The three diseases have one thing in common: a forward protrusion of the cornea.

PMD – difference to keratoconus

The symptoms of PMD hardly differ from those of keratoconus.
A significant difference, however, is the affected area of the cornea.

In PMD, the thinning and protrusion affect the lower peripheral area of the cornea.
As a result, vision is preserved for longer and symptoms appear later.
Further differences to keratoconus:

  • PMD occurs later – between the ages of 30 and 50
  • Progression of the disease does not stagnate with age

Therapy through crosslinking

The main focus of therapy is to halt the progression of the disease.
Crosslinking has proven to be an effective treatment method for this.

Crosslinking stops the progression of the disease.
The procedure differs only slightly from the treatment of keratoconus using CXL.
A modified irradiation profile is used – the cornea is irradiated in a downward direction during the procedure.
The expertise and experience of your doctor is required for successful treatment – this is what we can offer you at EyeLaser.

author image

Author:

Dr. Victor Derhartunian

Nachdem er sein Handwerk von den beiden Pionieren der Laserchirurgie gelernt hat, gehört Dr. Victor Derhartunian zu den führenden Augenlaser-Chirurgen. Er leitet die Praxis in Wien und kann seine Patienten in fünf Sprachen beraten.