Symptoms vary, ranging from nothing at all to mild, short-lived corneal irritation upon waking with photophobia or glare. Approximately 10 percent of affected individuals develop transient blurred vision with painful recurrent epithelial erosions.
Most patients experience fluctuating visual acuity without discomfort.
They are diagnosed and named principally by their appearance. In EBMD disorders, the basal epithelial cells manufacture abnormal finger-like projections that protrude from the abnormally thickened basement membrane. These projections reduce adherence of the overlying epithelium, and produce the characteristic changes. Fibrogranular ridges associated with, and adjacent to, these extensions form the fingerprint patterns. These protuberances bend in the epithelium, trapping cells and intercellular debris to mold microcysts.