Journal of Eye Diseases and Disorders

Evolution of Herpes Simplex Virus Epithelial Keratitis

Yael Azses-Halabe^1*, Jorge Eduardo Gamiochipi-Arjona¹ and Daniela Meziner-Grezamkovsky^{2 1}Department of Glaucoma, Association to Avoid Blindness, Mexico City, Mexico
²Department of Retina, Association to Avoid Blindness, Mexico City, Mexico
^*Correspondence: Yael Azses-Halabe, Department of Glaucoma, Association to Avoid Blindness, Mexico City, Mexico, Email:

Received: 30-Jun-2020 Published: 21-Jul-2020, DOI: 10.35248/2684-1622.20.5.139

Description of the Clinical Image

39 years old female patient, who presented with ocular pain and foreign body sensation on her left eye (OS) for two weeks, she started on her own tobramycin/dexamethasone ointment bid. Visual acuity in OS was 20/40, intraocular pressure 16 mmHg, ophthalmological examination revealed a quiet conjunctiva, the presence of corneal epithelial dendritic ulcers with terminal bulbs that stain with fluorescein (panel A), deep anterior chamber with no cells, the rest of the ocular examination was unremarkable. Herpes simplex epithelial keratitis was diagnosed, oral Valacyclovir 500mg bid was started and the ointment was suspended (Figure 1). Clinical improvement was evident at 72 hours (panel B) and complete resolution of the ulcers at 10 day with visual acuity improvement to 20/20 (panel C).

Figure 1: Evolution of herpes simplex virus epithelial keratitis.

This case highlights the importance of making an early diagnosis and adequate treatment for epithelial herpes simplex keratitis. It is imperative to suspend the ocular steroids and promptly start an antiviral to avoid complications.