Shingles Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Shingles, including details on symptoms, treatment, causes, virus.

Use of photorefractive keratectomy in a patient with a corneal scar secondary to herpes zoster ophthalmicus.

Kaufman SC

Department of Ophthalmology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. corneamd2000@yahoo.com

TOPIC: The use of LASIK surgery to correct vision in a patient with postzoster corneal scarring. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The cornea is commonly involved in cases of herpes zoster ophthalmicus, and as a result, corneal scarring after a varicella-zoster virus corneal infection is common. Corneal scars can be treated by lamellar keratoplasty or keratectomy, which may be performed using a microkeratome or excimer laser phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK). However, articles on studies concerning the treatment of postherpetic scars by PTK have been published, offering conflicting results. LASIK surgery may offer an additional therapeutic approach to corneal scarring. METHODS: A patient seeking corrective surgery to improve vision was found to have corneal scarring. RESULTS: The patient experienced successful vision correction. CONCLUSION: LASIK surgery can be conducted even in a patient with postzoster corneal scarring. No complications were apparent in this case.

Published 4 February 2008 in Ophthalmology, 115(2): S33-4.
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