Is COVID -19 Infection a trigger for Herpetic stromal keratitis?

Abstract

In June 2020, a 28-year-old female patient was admitted to our clinic with reduced vision in the left eye. She had systemic COVID-19 infection in May 2020 and during her treatment course, her visual complaints had begun approximately 1 week after the beginning of the COVID-19. Previously, the patient had bilateral femtosecond assisted – Laser in situ Keratomileusis in our clinic in 2018. There was no previous history of herpetic eye involvement. In her examination, the uncorrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the right and 20/32 in her left eye. Slit-lamp examination revealed interlamellar infiltration at the flap interface in the left eye. Considering herpetic activation, ganciclovir ointment 5 × 1, valacyclovir tablet 2 × 1, and prednisolone acetate 1.0% eye drops 5 times a day and artificial tear 5 × 1 were started. Two weeks later, the infiltration completely resolved and the uncorrected visual acuity increased to 20/20.