Shewanella putrefaciens keratitis in the lamellar bed 6 years after LASIK

• Published in: Journal of refractive surgery (1995) Vol. 23; no. 8; pp. 830 - 832
• Main Authors: Park, Hee-Jung S, Tuli, Sonal S, Downer, Donald M, Gohari, A Reza, Shah, Milan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States SLACK INCORPORATED 01.10.2007
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Cefazolin - therapeutic use; Corneal Stroma - microbiology; Drug Therapy, Combination; Eye Infections, Bacterial - diagnosis; Eye Infections, Bacterial - drug therapy; Eye Infections, Bacterial - microbiology; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - diagnosis; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - drug therapy; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - microbiology; Humans; Keratitis - diagnosis; Keratitis - drug therapy; Keratitis - microbiology; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ; Male; Middle Aged; Postoperative Complications; Reoperation; Shewanella putrefaciens - isolation & purification; Surgical Flaps - microbiology; Tobramycin - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 1081-597X; 1938-2391
• DOI: 10.3928/1081-597x-20071001-15

To present a case of infectious keratitis occurring 6 years after LASIK due to the rare human pathogen Shewanella putrefaciens. A 58-year-old man presented with redness and pain in the right eye 6 years following LASIK retreatment. Examination revealed a corneal infiltrate at the flap interface. Corneal scraping of stroma beneath the flap was submitted for histopathologic and microbiologic evaluation. An infiltrate located at the LASIK flap interface originated from an epithelial defect at the flap-corneal junction. Corneal stroma cultures demonstrated Shewanella putrefaciens. The infection resolved with antibiotic treatment. LASIK-related complications, such as infections, can occur many years following the procedure. The potential space created under the LASIK flap may predispose patients to infection by opportunistic organisms.