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Query: UMLS:C0022568 (keratitis)
 5,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In Fall 1981, an outbreak of acute infectious conjunctivitis with keratitis (EKC) occurred in patients who had visited a private ophthalmology clinic just prior to onset of illness. Among an estimated 2,200 patient visits to the office from August 10 to October 15, 1981 for problems unrelated to infectious conjunctivitis, 39 (1.8%) persons subsequently developed EKC. The median incubation period was 6.5 days (range, 1 to 14 days). A case-control study was done to identify risk factors associated with contracting EKC; patients with EKC were more likely than control patients to have been examined by one or the other of two of the four ophthalmologists at the clinic and to have undergone procedures such as tonometry or foreign body removal. Adenovirus was isolated from conjunctival swabs from four of five persons with conjunctivitis; three were type 8 and one was type 7. Recognition of the problem and improved handwashing practices were associated with terminating the outbreak. This outbreak illustrates the potential for transmission of adenovirus infection during the provision of eye care. Infection control practitioners should be familiar with measures for the prevention of such infections among ophthalmology patients.
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PMID:Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis: report of an outbreak in an ophthalmology practice and recommendations for prevention. 609 Mar 33

The specific morphology and distribution of corneal surface lesions may point toward a specific diagnosis and pathogenesis in individual cases (see Fig 1). Staining lesions may be fine (e.g., staphylococcal) or punctate (e.g., keratitis sicca). The size and appearance of staining and nonstaining lesions of the epithelium and subepithelial cornea may be characteristic for a particular disease process (e.g., HSV, EKC). Finally, the location of lesions is important. Inferior staining (staphylococcal disease, lagophthalmos) will be incited by a different cause as compared to superior (molluscum, trachoma, vernal keratoconjunctivitis) and peripheral (contact lens-induced, collagen vascular disease) staining patterns. Central lesions are more likely to indicate tear deficiency, superficial corneal dystrophies, viral infections, or metabolic conditions. Knowledge of these patterns of disease can allow accurate diagnosis and more expedient and successful treatment of corneal surface disease.
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PMID:Corneal surface disease topology. 1008 21