Herpetic Keratitis
Herpetic Epithelial KeratitisHerpetic keratitis is a form of recurrent herpes eye infection and can be divided into two main categories epithelial keratitis and stromal keratitis.Corneal epithelial layer is the outer most layer of the cornea and when it is infected by herpes, it will show small epithelial defects which will stain with fluorescein. When these small epithelial defects coalesce, they will form dendritic ulcer which is characteristic for herpes epithelial keratitis. This dendritic corneal ulcer will stain with both fluorescein and rose Bengal stain. To view picture of Herpes Eye Infection,
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Symptoms of Herpetic Epithelial Keratitis1- Red eye.2- Blurred vision. 3- Eye discharge. 4- Light sensitivity or photophobia. 5- Foreign body sensation and eye pain. Treatment1- Antiviral medications which can be taken as topical and oral medications.Topical medication usually will not be used for more than 2 weeks because it can cause corneal toxicity. Oral medications can be as effective as topical medication. Examples of antiviral medications: acyclovir, valacyclovir and trifluridine. 2- Epithelial debridement can be very helpful in speeding up the healing.
Complications of Herpetic Epithelial Keratitis1- Loss of corneal sensation.2- Geographic epithelial ulcer in which the dendritic ulcer will expand to involve a large area of the cornea. The main cause behind this is the application of corticosteroid. Corticosteroid is contraindicated in herpes epithelial eye. infection 3- Cornea scaring and opacity. Herpetic Stromal KeratitisIn this form of herpes eye infection, there will be inflammation of corneal stromal layer, which is the middle layer of the cornea without the involvement of epithelial layer.... For more information, click here<<< Previous, Herpes Eye Infection Main Page Do You Have A comment or A question to ask about herpetic keratitis?Please share it with us! Leave Herpetic keratitis and go to HomePage
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