Clinical profile and demographic distribution of pellucid marginal corneal degeneration in India: A study of 559 patients

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical profile and demographic distribution of pellucid marginal corneal degeneration (PMD) in patients presenting to a multitier ophthalmology hospital network in India. METHODS: This cross-sectional hospital-based study included 2,470,793 new patients presenting between September 2012 and September 2020 (~8 years period). Patients with a clinical diagnosis of PMD in at least one eye were included as cases. The data were collected using an electronic medical record system. RESULTS: Overall, 559 (0.02%) new patients were diagnosed with PMD. The prevalence rates were 0.004% in children (age <16 years) and 0.03% in adults. The majority of patients were males (70.13%) with the bilateral affliction (77.1%). The mean age of the patients was 37.91 ± 13.19 years. The majority (30.23%) of the patients were between 31 and 40 years of age. A significant number of patients were from higher socioeconomic status (93.74%) and from the urban region (45.08%). Of the 990 eyes, the most common clinical signs were ectasia/thinning (58.99%), corneal scar (17.47%), and corneal hydrops (1.01%). The majority of the eyes (87.97%) were managed with either spectacles or contact lenses. Among those who had surgical intervention, collagen cross-linking was the most performed procedure (5.25%) followed by cataract surgery (4.14%). CONCLUSION: PMD is a rare disease affecting patients seeking eye care in India. It commonly affects adult males and is bilateral in nature. The disease progression is slow and usually occurs beyond 3 years. Conservative management is more common than surgical intervention.