Characterization of a central corneal cloudiness sharing features of posterior crocodile shagreen and central cloudy dystrophy of Francois

A 56-year-old black woman with full-thickness mosaic pattern central corneal cloudiness, similar in appearance to central cloudy dystrophy and posterior crocodile shagreen, underwent corneal transplantation. Atypical features included decreased vision, photophobia, and epithelial involvement, with occasional foreign body sensation. Numerous 0.5-2.0-mu m-diameter lacunae were present in the corneal stroma and Bowman's layer, and a saw-toothed lamellar pattern was often evident in the corneal stroma. Soybean agglutinin (SEA), a lectin that binds N-acetyl-galactosamine residues, bound diffusely to stromal foci exhibiting similar size and distribution to the lacunae observed by electron microscopy. An absence of histochemically detectable lipid associated with these lacunae suggests that SEA reacted with glycoconjugates other than glycolipids. Biochemical analyses revealed similar contents of keratan sulfate, chondroitin/dermatan sulfate, and collagen as in normal controls, suggesting that the SEA binding moieties are associated with a glycoprotein or proteoglycan that is structurally or compositionally different from those found in normal cornea. This patient may represent an extreme variant of Vogt's or Francois central corneal clouding or a previously undescribed corneal dystrophy.