Necrotizing keratitis after laser refractive surgery in patients with inactive inflammatory bowel disease

Muhammad Aman-Ullah, Howard V. Gimbel, Mona K. Purba, John A. Van Westenbrugge

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Two cases of necrotizing keratitis following laser refractive corneal surgery, with stable and controlled Crohn's disease are described. A 40-year-old woman developed bilateral stromal inflammation and inferior thinning in the right eye along the flap edge within 1 day of uneventful bilateral IntraLase laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. The other case is a 30-year-old man who also developed bilateral inferior stromal infiltrates 2 days following photorefractive keratectomy. Both cases were aggressively treated with systemic and topical corticosteroids. The infiltrates in both patients gradually resolved, with one relapse during the 7 months period of follow-up in the first case. These cases highlight the importance of taking precautions considering this and similar autoimmune conditions as a relative contraindication to refractive surgery.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)54-60
Number of pages7
JournalCase Reports in Ophthalmology
Volume3
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2012

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Ophthalmology

Keywords

  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Keratitis
  • Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis
  • Photorefractive keratectomy

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