Spheroidal Degeneration –An Epidemiological Study

Background: Sheroidal degeneration , reported as a rare entity in western literature is a common ocular morbidity in our parts of India. It is commonly seen in persons who are exposed to intense sun light (excess UV radiation) reflected off the surface of the sea, snow and sand. Hence, its prevalence is more in fishermen. Clinically, it is characterised by the presence of amber coloured spherules on the cornea giving rise to intense foreign body sensation, pain, redness, watering, photophobia and decreased visual acuity. Because of the poor ocular surface they are not suitable for certain other ocular procedures like refractive status assessment, cataract surgery etc thus decreasing their quality of life. Superficial keratectomy (manual/laser ,Phototherapeutic keratectomy (with adjuvants) ,Lamellar keratoplasty, Penetrating keratoplasty are the available options for the management of this condition. Aim: To study the prevalence and the epidemiological profile of spheroidal degeneration in a hospital based population Methodology: : In a prospective, non interventional, randomised ,observational study ,631 randomly selected patients above 20 years of age were examined for the presence of spheroidal degeneration and attributable risk factors were looked for. Corneal lesions were classified using Dr.Daljit Singh’s criteria . Results: Prevalence of spheroidal degeneration was 7.13% in our hospital based population .Primary type was more common (80%). 71.1% of the study population were fishermen .Symptomatology depends on the depth of lesions. CONCLUSION: Spheroidal degeneration is not so rare a clinical condition in our region. It is associated with significant ocular morbidity and decreased quality of life.