Guoda Jankaitytė1, Saulius Galgauskas2
1Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
2Vilnius university hospital Santaros clinics, Vilnius, Lithuania
Abstract
Introduction. Keratitis caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) is currently the leading cause of acquired blindness. The virus can cause corneal infiltration that results in scarring, which may cause vision loss of the affected eye. The herpetic keratitis can be caused by both herpes simplex virus first (HSV – 1) and second (HSV – 2). However, the most common cause is HSV – 1 infection. The gold standard in the diagnosis is the detection of virus culture, however it is usually diagnosed clinically. Oral antiviral drugs are preferred for the treatment of this infection, and the duration of treatment is usually two weeks.
Clinical case. A 17-year-old patient came to the ophthalmology ward for necessary medical care. The patient complained of pain in the left eye, redness, photophobia, the fog appeared in front of the left eye. The above complaints occurred a day ago. Status on arrival objectively were: OS eyeball movements were painful, corneal swollen, centered and paracentral old turbidity were visible. Furthermore, precorneal vascular injection and ingrown superficial blood vessels at 2 – 12 hours were observed. Precipitates of various sizes are abundantly deposited in the endothelium paracentral as well as in the lower part, slight iris hyperemia and a ruptured iris area were observed from the lateral side. The media was translucent, the retina and blood vessels were without pathological changes.
Conclusion: secondary herpetic keratitis is the most common form of all infectious keratitis. Keratitis caused by herpes simplex viruses can develop in people of any age, so it is necessary to be able not only to diagnose but also to treat and manage this infection, as well as to protect the patient from complications.
Keywords: herpetic keratitis, Herpes simplex virus, the infection caused blindness.