Research conducted by Dr. Jayne S. Weiss, Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and colleagues has discovered a new mutation in a gene that causes Schnyder corneal dystrophy (SCD.) The gene was found to be involved in vitamin K metabolism suggesting the possibility that vitamin K may eventually be found useful in its treatment. The findings are published in the February 2013 issue of the peer-reviewed journal, Human Mutation. Schnyder corneal dystrophy is a rare hereditary eye disease that results in progressive loss of vision as abnormal deposits of cholesterol and other fats cloud the cornea. Affecting both eyes, it often requires corneal transplantation surgery.
