A Case of Alternaria Species Infection after Corneal Tattooing.

Ghim, Woon Hyung; Cho, Kyong Jin

doi:2015.56.3.438

J Korean Ophthalmol Soc > Volume 56(3); 2015 > Article

Case Report

Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 2015;56(3):438-442.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2015.56.3.438 Published online March 15, 2015.

A Case of Alternaria Species Infection after Corneal Tattooing.

Woon Hyung Ghim, Kyong Jin Cho

Department of Ophthalmology, Dankook University Medical College, Cheonan, Korea. perfectcure@hanmail.net

각막 문신술 후 발생한 알터나리아 균종 감염 1예

김운형⋅조경진

단국대학교 의과대학 안과학교실

Abstract

PURPOSE
To report a case of successful treatment of Alternaria species infection after corneal tattooing using penetrating keratoplasty corneal perforation. CASE SUMMARY: A 65-year-old male underwent corneal tattooing for corneal opacity of the left eye. One month later, epithelial defect and necrosis of the left eye were observed, thus a smear and culture were performed and Alternaria species were cultured. He was treated with 0.3% amphotericin B-fortified eyedrops and Itraconazole oral medication; however, 3 weeks later, corneal perforation of the left eye was observed and penetrating keratoplasty was performed. Postoperatively, due to persistent increased intraocular pressure, trabeculectomy was performed. Two months later, donor cornea was well-grafted and recurrent keratitis was not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Corneal tattooing can cause damage to the corneal epithelium and anterior stroma and increase the risk of infection when using steroids. In the case of infection, detecting and differentiating the type of microorganisms are more difficult. Therefore, proper care and close monitoring for the signs of infection are important during and after the surgery.

Key Words: Alternaria;Corneal opacity;Corneal tattooing;Fungus;Penetrating keratoplasty