Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: Severe ocular allergies such as AKC and VKC are difficult to control and corneal complications are often observed. Although the pathogenesis of corneal lesions has not been clarified, conjunctival inflammation is thought to be associated with the formation of corneal lesions. We evaluated whether specific conjunctival findings correlate with corneal complications. Methods: Thirty eyes of 19 patients diagnosed as AKC or VKC were enrolled in this study (18 males and 1 female: mean age 16±8.1 years old). Slit lamp photographs of upper tarsal conjunctiva and cornea were used to evaluate clinical findings objectively. Corneal findings and 4 major clinical features of giant papillae: the thickness of papillae, injection, edema, and mucous discharge on the upper conjunctiva were evaluated. The conjunctival findings were graded from 0-3 and corneal findings were graded from 0-4 by their severity. Statistical analyses between each clinical sign and corneal damage were performed. Correlation was considered significant when p < 0.05. Results: Conjunctival injection (p=0.003) and edema (p=0.041) significantly correlated with the severity of corneal complications. Conclusion: Signs of conjunctival inflammation such as edema and injection correlated with corneal damage. These results suggest that infiltration of inflammatory cells in the conjunctiva is associated with corneal damage in severe ocular allergies.
Keywords: 365 conjunctiva • 437 inflammation • 449 keratitis