Primary tuberculosis of the conjunctiva treated with streptomycin and P.A.S.

PRIMARY tuberculosis of the conjunctiva is a rare condition, the existence of which was for long open to question. It has, however, now been shown that the disease can be produced experimentally (Igersheimer, 1922) and later reports have established its clinical occurrence. (Blevgad, 1933; Bruce and Locatcher-Khorazo, 1947). Since the advent of antibiotics, there have been several reports of cases treated with streptomycin. In some, both local and systemic streptomycin has been used (Das Gupta and Usman, 1949; Sykowski, 1950); and in others the use of the drug has been combined with ultra-violet light therapy (Kamel, 1950), or with para-amino-salicylic acid (Wheeler and Sinclair, 1952). In all cases, however, the course of treatment has been comparatively short, and it has not always been effective in preventing caseation of the regional glands (Donegan, 1950).