Corneal edema resolution after “descemetorhexis”

A 79-year-old woman had left eye phacoemulsification complicated by inadvertent excision of Descemet’s membrane (DM). One day postoperatively, the visual acuity was counting fingers with diffuse corneal edema. The patient was treated medically, with gradual resolution of the corneal edema over a 6-month period. The torn edge of DM could be visualized as the edema cleared, and no endothelial cell count could be obtained centrally. Approximately 1 year postoperatively, the central endothelial cell count was 2114 cells/mm 2 in the right eye and 827 cells/mm 2 in the left eye. The decreased cell count, increased polymegethism, and pleomorphism suggested that endothelial cells migrated to cover the stromal surface area in the absence of DM.