Severe allergic keratoconjunctivitis and erythema multiforme after a routine eye examination: discerning the cause.

Acute allergic dermatitis of the eyelids with keratoconjunctivitis is associated with a specific triggering factor. Therapy for the acute inflammation can complicate the search for such a factor if the process worsens. We report a case of acute contact dermatitis and keratoconjunctivitis after a routine eye examination to demonstrate the difficulty in evaluating such patients and the role of skin patch testing in determining the cause.