H erpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV), an enveloped virus with double-stranded DNA, is a major source of ocular infections. A 1982 study estimated that 400 000 people in the United States had ocular HSV infection, with 50 000 new and recurrent cases each year. Almost 20 years ago, the Herpetic Eye Disease Study Group was organized to elucidate the best treatments for HSV keratitis through the appl...

Acanthamoeba species can cause a chronic, progressive ulcerative keratitis of the eye which is not responsive to the usual antimicrobial therapy and is frequently mistaken for stromal herpes keratitis. An unusual case of coinfection with Acanthamoeba polyphaga and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as causes of corneal keratitis in a contact lens wearer from Gauteng, South Africa, is reported. These two pa...

Data taken from 1221 patients attending the Zoster Clinic of Moorfields Eye Hospital over the past 15 years were used to characterise the clinical appearance and behaviour of zoster mucous plaque keratitis (MPK). The typical greyish branching plaques are usually accompanied by a limbitis, stromal keratitis, or decrease in corneal sensation and are commonly associated with cataract, raised intra...

PURPOSE Acanthamoeba keratitis is associated with keratocyte depletion in humans. We investigated how Acanthamoebae isolated from corneas affected by Acanthamoeba keratitis interacted with human corneal stromal cells in vitro. METHODS Acanthamoebae were isolated from 6 patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis and genotyping was done. Whether the isolated Acanthamoebae could invade the corneal str...

The paper reports on Candida albicans ocular infection modified by steroid eye drops. A 74-year-old male complained of conjunctival injection and pain in his right eye three months after pterygium and cataract surgery. After treatment with antibiotics and steroid eye drops for three days, he was referred to our hospital. Clear localized corneal endothelial plaque with injection of ciliary body ...

Although dendritic ulceration of the corneal epithelium due to herpes simplex virus (HSV) frequently resolves with minimal residual damage,' virus may penetrate the corneal stroma and initiate a chronic, recurrent inflammation with an associated fall in visual acuity. The signs of disease in such patients result from the immune response to the presence in the cornea of viral antigen,2 which may...

We report the case of a patient diagnosed with Avellino corneal dystrophy (ACD) who developed diffuse interstitial keratitis following excimer laser insitu keratomileusis (LASIK). ACD is an autosomal dominant corneal dystrophy characterized by multiple asymmetric stromal opacities that impair vision. Accepted treatments for this condition include corneal transplantation and phototherapeutic ker...

PURPOSE To report a case of atypical herpes simplex keratitis initially diagnosed as bacterial keratitis, in a contact lens wearer. RESULTS Case report of an 18-year-old woman using contact lenses who presented with pain, redness and gradual decrease in vision in the right eye. Examination revealed a paracentral large stromal infiltrate with a central 2-mm perforation. Corneal and conjunctiva...