Herpetic keratitis
Herpetic keratitis Causes
Infectious epithelial keratitis is the result of active viral replication within the corneal epithelium
Herpetic keratitis Definition
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis includes a wide variety of disease processes that HSV can cause in the human cornea. A variety of clinical manifestations of infectious and immunologic etiologies, such as neurotrophic keratopathy, infectious epithelial keratitis, necrotizing stromal keratitis, immune stromal keratitis (ISK), and endotheliitis, can affect all levels of the cornea. Although more common as a manifestation of recurrent HSV infection, HSV keratitis may also be detected during a primary infection.
Herpetic keratitis Diagnosis
Epithelial scrapings with Giemsa stain may show multinucleated giant cells, a a result of the coalescence of infected corneal epithelial cells and intranuclear viral inclusions. However, negative cytology findings do not exclude HSV infection.
Herpetic keratitis Symptoms and Signs
The earliest sign of active viral replication in the corneal epithelium are small, raised, clear vesicles that are analogous to the vesicular eruptions seen in mucocutaneous herpes infection elsewhere in the body. These infectious epithelial vesicles are rarely detected or recognized during a patient's first presentation. However, in patients with a known history of HSV keratitis, infectious epithelial vesicles may be observed even without any clinical symptoms.
Herpetic keratitis Treatment
The treatment of HSV keratitis is aciclovir eye cream 5 times a day for 10 days. Depending on the particular ulcer, a different treatment time, and occasionally different drugs, will be needed. With prompt treatment the patient get a 100% recovery.