Delayed-onset Actinomyces keratitis after laser in situ keratomileusis.

PURPOSE: To present a case of delayed-onset unilateral keratitis caused by Actinomyces israelii after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

METHODS

A 28-year-old woman was referred to our clinic because of foreign-body sensation and mild blurred vision in her left eye. She had bilateral simultaneous LASIK approximately 5 months ago. On slit-lamp examination, there was an area of infiltration in the corneal interface. The LASIK flap was elevated, and the involved area was scraped and irrigated with antibiotic solutions.

RESULTS

Culture and smear showed A. israelii as a causative agent, and the keratitis was successfully treated by antibiotics chosen according to antibiotic sensitivity test.

CONCLUSIONS

Actinomyces israelii must be considered in differential diagnosis of delayed-onset microbial keratitis after LASIK. Flap elevation, scraping, and irrigating the involved area can be helpful to obtain specimens for culture and smear and to control infection.