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SUMMARY Map-dot-fingerprint basement-membrane abnormalities of the cornea are common in the geieral population, affecting as many as 76 % of persons over age 50 and 42% of persons of all ages. The prevalence of this condition in the general population is not significantly different from that found in families of patients with recurrent corneal erosions and map-dot-fingerprint corneal changes. Despite this extremely high prevalence of basement-membrane changes the incidence of recurrent erosive symptoms in total groups of patients with basement-membrane changes is quite rare, suggesting that these 2 entities are possibly not related. Although previous observers have suggested an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance of these basement-membrane changes, our data raise the possibility that map-dot-fingerprint basement-membrane changes represent an age-dependent, degenerative condition of the cornea. We were unable, however, to prove either hypothesis.Map-dot-fingerprint abnormalities of the corneal epithelial basement membrane have been the subject of numerous articles and several reviews in recent years.3 This is largely because of the association of the basement-membrane changes, seen both clinically and microscopically, with recurrent corneal erosions.2-4 Some recent reports indicate that these abnormalities of basement membrane constitute a dystrophy with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance,35 whereas others believe it is simply a corneal degeneration.6 Guerry7 postulated this to be a rare condition seen in approximately 1 in 4 000 patients in his files, whereas Laibson3 found the prevalence of these basement-membrane changes in the general population to be approximately 6 %.Four years ago we undertook a study of the inheritance of these basement-membrane changes in patients with recurrent erosions. In this initial study we also looked at a small group of people who were not related to patients with recurrent erosions. Because of the high prevalence ofmap-dot-fingerprint

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