The clinical and statistical review were carried out with 92 cases of herpetic keratitis at the Dept. of Ophthalmology, St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Medical College from Jan. 1974 to Aug. 1976. The results were as follow: 1. Herpetic keratitis was most prevalent at the age of 30's and least at those under 10 and 60'. 2. Male and female ratio was about 3 : 1 but the ratio under the age of 20 was even. 3. The most epidemic season was from March to June, amounting to about 56.5% of the total, and exhaustion was the most significant predisposing factor. 4. The simple type of herpetic keratitis was 45 cases (48.9%) of the total while the complicated type was 47 cases(51.1%). Four fifth of simple type was dendritic keratitis with 36cases (39.1%) and disciform keratitis was most frequent among the complicated type with 20 cases (21.7%). 5. Involvement was even between left and right eyes. 80% of binocular cases was primarily involved at the age of over 20's. Among binocular cases, both eyes showed similar signs and course. 6. Vision in the early stage depends on the location of keratitis invloved. Twenty two out of twenty three cases with duration over 3 years displayed and obvious decreased vision less than 0.1 which implied that the longer the duration is, the more evident the disturbance in vIsion is. 7. In 30 cases the effect of 5-ido-2'-deoxyuridine (I.D.U.) was excellent while there was no effective response to the 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (I.D.U.) in 29 cases. In cases resistant against I.D.U., cryotherapy and keratoplasty proved to be very effective.
Causality ; Corneal Transplantation ; Cryotherapy ; Female ; Humans ; Idoxuridine ; Keratitis* ; Keratitis, Dendritic ; Keratitis, Herpetic ; Male ; Ophthalmology ; Seasons ; Telescopes

Herpes simplex virus keratits(HSK) is one of the most common external eye diseases that cause corneal blindness, Therefore early diagnosis and proper treatment of HSK are essential. However it is frequently misdiagnosed because it shows non-specific corneal lesion than other infectious corneal disease. And also diagnosis of HSK mostly rely on clinical examination and patient history. We evaluated suspicious HSK patients by indirect immunofluofluorescent(IF) antibody test and analyzed its efficacy in the early diagnosis of HSK. Among 47 patients(47 eyes), 37 patients were suspicious heretic keratitis and others not. Dendritic keratitis patients existed in 17 out of 37 patients and they were evaluated with virus culture and indirect IF test. The result of indirect IF test was confirmed under the immunofluorescent microscope and for virus culture the specimens were inoculated on Vero cells(monkey kidney cells). The positive results of indirect IF test was 28 out of 37 suspicious HSK patients and 1 out of 10 non-suspicious HSK patients. Dendritic HSK patients showed IF positive in 15 out of 17 patients(82.3%). Sensitivity of indirect IF test in suspicious HSK patients was 75.7%(2837) and 88.2%(15/17) in dendritic HSK patients. Indirect IF test was all positive(14/14) in dendritic HSK patients that showed culture positive. From these results, indirect IF test has a high sensitivity in early diagnosis of HSK and might be ussful as a rapid diagnostic tool in HSK patients.
Blindness ; Corneal Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Eye Diseases ; Herpes Simplex* ; Humans ; Keratitis ; Keratitis, Dendritic ; Keratitis, Herpetic* ; Kidney ; Simplexvirus

Herpes simplex virus keratits(HSK) is one of the most common external eye diseases that cause corneal blindness, Therefore early diagnosis and proper treatment of HSK are essential. However it is frequently misdiagnosed because it shows non-specific corneal lesion than other infectious corneal disease. And also diagnosis of HSK mostly rely on clinical examination and patient history. We evaluated suspicious HSK patients by indirect immunofluofluorescent(IF) antibody test and analyzed its efficacy in the early diagnosis of HSK. Among 47 patients(47 eyes), 37 patients were suspicious heretic keratitis and others not. Dendritic keratitis patients existed in 17 out of 37 patients and they were evaluated with virus culture and indirect IF test. The result of indirect IF test was confirmed under the immunofluorescent microscope and for virus culture the specimens were inoculated on Vero cells(monkey kidney cells). The positive results of indirect IF test was 28 out of 37 suspicious HSK patients and 1 out of 10 non-suspicious HSK patients. Dendritic HSK patients showed IF positive in 15 out of 17 patients(82.3%). Sensitivity of indirect IF test in suspicious HSK patients was 75.7%(2837) and 88.2%(15/17) in dendritic HSK patients. Indirect IF test was all positive(14/14) in dendritic HSK patients that showed culture positive. From these results, indirect IF test has a high sensitivity in early diagnosis of HSK and might be ussful as a rapid diagnostic tool in HSK patients.
Blindness ; Corneal Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Eye Diseases ; Herpes Simplex* ; Humans ; Keratitis ; Keratitis, Dendritic ; Keratitis, Herpetic* ; Kidney ; Simplexvirus

Acyclovir is highly selective and relatively non-toxic anti-herpes agent. Thirt-y-seven patients with herpetic keratitis were treated with acyclovir. (23 patients with pure epithelial type, 4 patients with accompanying stromal keratitis, and 10 patients with accompanying keratouveitis). Acyclovir was very effective in 23 patients with pure epithelial herpetic keratitis. All epithelial defects healed in a mean healing time of 6.2 +/- 2.3 days. In 4 patients with stromal keratitis, 3 patients healed within 14 days and 1 patient healed on 27 days. In 10 patients with keratouveitis, 8 patients healed within 14 days, 1 patient healed on 21 days, and 1 patient was not healed even after one month. Four patients developed superficial punctate keratopathy during therapy, but no other serious adverse effects were seen.
Acyclovir* ; Humans ; Keratitis ; Keratitis, Herpetic*

Acyclovir is highly selective and relatively non-toxic anti-herpes agent. Thirt-y-seven patients with herpetic keratitis were treated with acyclovir. (23 patients with pure epithelial type, 4 patients with accompanying stromal keratitis, and 10 patients with accompanying keratouveitis). Acyclovir was very effective in 23 patients with pure epithelial herpetic keratitis. All epithelial defects healed in a mean healing time of 6.2 +/- 2.3 days. In 4 patients with stromal keratitis, 3 patients healed within 14 days and 1 patient healed on 27 days. In 10 patients with keratouveitis, 8 patients healed within 14 days, 1 patient healed on 21 days, and 1 patient was not healed even after one month. Four patients developed superficial punctate keratopathy during therapy, but no other serious adverse effects were seen.
Acyclovir* ; Humans ; Keratitis ; Keratitis, Herpetic*

PURPOSE: We report the therapeutic effect of ganciclovir gel instead of acyclovir ointment usually used in the case of herpes simplex superficial ocular disease such as herpetic dendritic keratitis and erosive blepharitis. METHODS: Three patients clinically diagnosed with herpes simplex dendritic keratitis and one as erosive blepharitis were treated with the topical ophthalmic gel of 0.15% ganciclovir three times a day for 2 to 4 weeks. Ocular complications and recurrence were evaluated under slit-lamp examination for the follow-up periods. RESULTS: Dendritic keratitis and erosive blepharitis were completely recovered with no recurrence during the 5 months follow-up. There is no respective comparison here. In one case of herpes simplex keratitis, the keratitis wound was repaired after debridement of corneal epithelial layer and application of ganciclovir gel. Complications including burning sensation and superficial punctate keratitis did not develop and visual acuity improved. CONCLUSIONS: Ganciclovir ophthalmic gel should be considered one of the effective therapeutic drugs for the herpes simplex ocular disease.
Acyclovir ; Blepharitis ; Burns ; Debridement ; Follow-Up Studies ; Ganciclovir* ; Herpes Simplex* ; Humans ; Keratitis ; Keratitis, Dendritic ; Keratitis, Herpetic ; Recurrence ; Sensation ; Visual Acuity ; Wounds and Injuries

This study was performed to observe the sequential charge of the morpholcgic characteristics in experimentally induced herpes simplex keratitis. Duration and morphology of corneal lesion following infection of rabbit cornea with the Kos strain of HSV-I were followed by a daily slit-lamp examination. Three types of virus inoculation methods were used such as scratching, deepithelialization, and intrastromal injection. Herpetic corneal lesions appeared 24 hours after inoculation with punctate and dendritic figures. They persisted up to 14 or 15 days. The characteristic finding in punctate herpetic keratitis was grouped, round-shaped, punctate lesion. When scratching method was emplyed, the most remarkable finding was the discontinuity of the lesion occurred along the scratching wound at relatively regular intervals. There was no difference in lesional morphology and duration between three inoculation methods.
Cornea ; Keratitis* ; Keratitis, Herpetic ; Wounds and Injuries

Acanthamoeba keratitis is uncommon and rarely reported in Korea. It has been reported in world literature as a very severe, progressive necrotizing stromal keratitis due to a non-parasitic free-living amoeba. It is frequently associated with minimal corneal trauma especially from contact lens but sometimes occurs in patients without any past history. We report a case of acanthamoeba keratitis without a specific past history in a 42-year-old man. Light and electron microscopy demonstrated severe stromal keratitis with numerous thick-walled cysts, 10~15 m in diameter, scattered in the superficial and deep stroma. Because this keratitis is most often mistaken for fungal, bacterial or herpetic keratitis, early confirmatory diagnosis by direct smear, biopsy or culture is essentially required for the prevention of visual loss or devastating eyeball loss.
Acanthamoeba Keratitis* ; Acanthamoeba* ; Adult ; Amoeba ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Keratitis ; Keratitis, Herpetic ; Korea ; Microscopy, Electron

Zinc sulfate, which was used as zinc sulfate ophthalmic solution in herpetic keratitis, has been found to have the therapeutic effects in cutaneous and mucosal herpes simplex. We studied ta evaluate the therapeutic effect of zinc sulfate in patients with herpes simplex. Nine patients with primary herpes simplex and twenty five patient with recurrent herpes simplex were included in this study. Twenty five patients(six with primary type and nineteen with recurrent type were treated with topical applicatiion of 0.3% zinc sulfate solutiion seven to eight times a day and nine patients(three with primary type and six with recurrent type)were applied with placebo vehicle in the same way. Maintenance treatment was then given tc all these patients, first once a week for one month, and then twice a month indefinitely. The effect was assessed by the comparison of the duration of disappearance of symptoms, drying of vesicles and crust formation, and desiccation and sloughing-off of cursts, and recurrence rate between zine sulfat,e group and placebo group. The resuilts were summarized as follows : 1. In the average time of the disappearance of symptoms, drying of vesicles and crust formation, a,nd desiccation and sloughing-off of crusts, the resu1t observecl in zinc, sulfate group was shorter than that of placebo group, respectively ( p < 0.01). 2. In recurrence rate, 11.1% observed in zinc sulfate group was much lower than 80.0%i in placebo group(p . 0.01). These findings suggest that topical zinc sulfate is an effective agent for treatment and prevention of recurrence af herpes simplex infection.
Desiccation ; Herpes Simplex* ; Humans ; Keratitis, Herpetic ; Recurrence ; Zinc Sulfate* ; Zinc*

In diagnostic methods of herpes simplex keratitis are included clinical appearance, cytology, viral culture, immunofluorescent technique, and identification with electron microscopy. We studied isolation rate of virus with viral culture method from 44 eyes that was clinically diagnosed as herpes simplex keratitis. Herpes simplex virus was isolated from 24 eyes among 44 eyes(56.8%). The result of viral culture showed a high positive isolation rates in superficial keratitis(72.0%) and relatively low rates in stromal keratitis(36.8%). The positive isolation rate was high in cases of short duration after the onset of herpes simplex keratitis. It is suggested that virus isolation with viral culture method is a relatively sensitive, simple, and highly specific method for the diagnosis of herpes simplex keratitis.
Diagnosis ; Herpes Simplex* ; Keratitis, Herpetic* ; Microscopy, Electron ; Simplexvirus