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Peripheral sterile corneal infiltrates can mimic infectious keratitis, surgeons warn
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Peripheral sterile corneal infiltrates can be confused with infectious keratitis, and surgeons should be suspicious because management of the two conditions is different, according to a study. Tova Lifshitz, MD, and colleagues at the Enaim Ophthalmological Center in Jerusalem described a series of complications in five eyes of three patients who underwent bilateral refractive procedures for myopia. Two eyes underwent laser epithelial keratomileusis, two underwent LASIK with a microkeratome and one underwent LASIK with a femtosecond laser.
All patients complained of ocular pain between 1 and 3 days after surgery. A ring stromal infiltrate peripheral to the flap edge with intact epithelium and an intervening clear zone between the peripheral corneal infiltrates and the limbus was observed in all eyes. No anterior chamber reaction was seen.
Topical steroids and antibiotics along with systemic steroids improved all cases after several days, the report said. Final visual acuity was 20/25 or better in all eyes.
The report is published in the July issue of the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.