A Case of Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis as Primary Herpes Simplex Infection in a Child

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report a case of peripheral ulcerative keratitis in a case of primary herpes simplex infection. CASE SUMMARY: A 7-year-old male complaining of pain, redness, and decreased vision in the left eye 5 days in duration visited our clinic. The patient had also vesicular lesions over the edematous left upper eyelid. Slit-lamp examination revealed peripheral ulcerative keratitis with stromal infiltration involving the superior peripheral cornea. Corneal sensation in the left eye was decreased. The patient was advised to use topical and oral antiviral agents and a topical steroid. After 5 days of follow-up, the corneal lesions were decreased and vesicles were absent. Six months later, only minor opacities remained in the cornea. CONCLUSIONS: We report the first case report in Korea of peripheral ulcerative keratitis with blepharoconjunctivitis presented as primary herpes simplex infection which responded to antiviral and steroid treatment in a young male.