TITLE:
Case Studies of Mycobacterium abscess Infection after Laser in Situ Keratomileusis
AUTHORS:
Yixin Wang, Yang Zhang, Zhirong Lin, Huping Wu, Cheng Li
KEYWORDS:
LASIK, Mycobacterium abscess, Infection
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.8 No.12,
December
24,
2019
ABSTRACT: Background: Infectious keratitis after refractive surgery is uncommon, and mycobacterium abscess has never been observed in corneal infections in China. Purpose: To propose an unusual presentation of two cases about Mycobacterium abscess infection after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Participants: Both cases 1 and 2 were females who exhibited a corneal ulceration after LASIK in the same hospital. Methods: The first patient in the study was a 28-year-old woman who underwent Epi-LASIK surgery in both eyes. She developed an infectious corneal ulcer in one eye after 50 days post-surgery. She was referred to our out-patient clinic 3 months post-surgery with corneal perforation, and was treated with a therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty. The second patient was a 27-year-old woman who developed infectious keratitis in one eye after 2 months after bilateral LASIK and was referred to us 3 months later. Results: Cultures in both the cases were identified as a Mycobacterium abscess, and case 1 was treated with penetrating keratoplasty eventually, while case 2 recovered after sensitive treatment. Conclusions: Infectious keratitis after refractive surgery is uncommon, and Mycobacterium abscess has never been observed in corneal infections. An accurate diagnosis and identification of the causative agent is very important.