Newly Acquired Herpetic Epithelial Keratitis After Penetrating Keratoplasty without Previous History of Herpetic

ABS TRACT Objective: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection may develop either by reactivation of latent HSV in its endogenous foci or exogenous transmission from the transplanted donor cornea after pen- etrating keratoplasty (PK). In the current study, we aimed to determine the clinic and treatment outcomes of patients without previous history of HSV infection who had newly acquired herpetic epithelial keratitis (HK) after PK. Material and Methods: The medical records of pa- tients who underwent PK for reasons outside of corneal scars due to the HK between January 1995 and February 2016 were retrospectively screened. Results: The incidence of newly developed HK was 1.09% (17/1559). The mean interval between PK and HK was 30.41±39.31 months (range 1-139 months). Dry eye was present in 82.3%, corneal neovascularization in 41.2% and systemic diseases in 23.5% cases with newly acquired HK after PK. At the time of the diagnosis of HK; 82.3% of cases were using topical steroids, 23.5% of cases oral steroids and 11.8% of cases topical cyclosporine-A. In 17.6% cases HK developed after the secondary surgeries following PK. Conclusion: The diagno- sis of HK immediately came to mind and treatment was started at once especially in persistent and atypical epithelial defect on corneal grafts. Herpetic epithelial keratitis should be remembered that it can be develop any time after PK.