Red coral keratitis.
OBJECTIVE
We describe a 39-year-old woman who was seen for pain and blurred vision in the right eye that presented immediately after scuba diving several inches from a red coral reef.


METHODS
The patient was found to have multiple superficial corneal foreign bodies with adjacent infiltrates on slit-lamp examination. She was treated with long-term topical corticosteroids.


RESULTS
The infiltrates and symptoms gradually resolved after nearly 3 months of treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
This case represents a form of keratitis caused by exposure to red coral. Possible mechanisms for the keratitis include type I and 4 hypersensitivities, resulting from the release of vasoactive substances. This is triggered by the red coral's nematocysts, or toxin-releasing organelles. Long-term corticosteroid treatment was effective in resolving the lesions.
Keamy
J
J
Department of Ophthalmology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Umlas
J
J
Lee
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003063:Cnidaria; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D065306:Corneal Injuries; D003646:Debridement; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005129:Eye Foreign Bodies / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007634:Keratitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D011239:Prednisolone