A Case of Bilateral Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis

Abstract

Peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) is an aggressive, potentially sight-threatening cause for peripheral corneal thinning. It may precede the diagnosis of the systemic condition and therefore these cases require urgent investigation. A 43-year-old woman presented with bilateral tearing and ocular pain persisting for 7 months. Visual acuity was 6/6 in both eyes. On biomicroscopic examination, presence of crescent shaped corneal ulcer with perilesional haziness. A tear film study demonstrated decreased Schirmer test results (5mm in both eyes) and tear film break-up time (5 sec in both eyes). The interrogation and the patient revealed he had recurrent skin lesions in both legs with chronic itching, and recurrent oral and genital ulcers healing spontaneously. The diagnosis of Behcet disease was proposed. Pathergy test was negative, HLA B51 was positif. Systemic therapy was started with colchicine at a dose of 2mg/day. Eye drops and systemic prednisolone at 1mg/kg/day was continued with progressive decrease. The follow up at 3 months and 6 months showed no signs of recurrence of ulceration in both eyes. Corneal manifestation has rarely been reported in Behcet’s disease. Combined intraocular anterior and posterior segment inflammation are most common features of ocular Behcet disease. Collaborative management of ophthalmic patients having systemic illness along with internists improves overall outcomes and prevents morbidity in such patients.