Unsuspected ocular leprosy

ABSTRACT

Ophtalmic findings suggestive of leprosy include loss of eyebrows and eyelashes, beaded corneal nerves, puntacte subepithelial superior limbal corneal opacities, entropion of the upper eyelids, conjunctival hyperemia an the other canthal area, iris pearls and unexplained unilateral or bilateral 7th nerve histories were presented. The average time interval between the initial presenting complaint the establishment of the correct diagnosis was six years. There is no accurate method of determining the real incidence of leprosy in the United States, but it would appear to be higher than suspected. Ophthalmologists should consider leprosy when examining patients with any of the findings just mentioned, particularly if the patient has a sssociated skin or neurologic findings or nasal stuffiness.