A 35-year-old woman with chronic granulomatous uveitis shows a horizontal band of greyish opacity across the interpalpebral cornea with small holes and a saw-toothed anterior edge. The chemical used to dissolve this deposit is:

• A Sodium hyaluronidase
• B Sodium chloride hypertonic ointment
• C Acetylcysteine drops
• D Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) ✓

Explanation

Band-shaped keratopathy consists of calcium salts deposited in Bowman layer and the superficial stroma, classically in chronic uveitis, hypercalcaemia, and phthisis bulbi. Chelation with disodium EDTA drops dissolves the calcium and is the standard treatment when vision is affected. Acetylcysteine is a mucolytic used in filamentary and dry eye disorders, and hypertonic saline treats corneal oedema, neither of which removes calcium.

Reference: Parsons' Diseases of the Eye, 23rd ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.