Severe corneal ulcer secondary to rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Introduction: rheumatoid arthritis is a multisystemic, inflammatory, chronic disease of unknown origin. Approximately 20-35 % of patients who suffer from it present ocular manifestations.

Objective: to describe the characteristics of secondary severe corneal ulcer to rheumatoid arthritis in a patient.

Case presentation: female patient, 50 years old, with a history of rheumatoid arthritis and severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca. She presented a 4 mm inferotemporal paracentral corneal ulcerative lesion that affected the stroma of the right eye. The sample taken for direct examination and culture was positive for Staphylococcus aureus. She was treated with fortified broad-spectrum antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and mydriatic anti-inflammatory eye drops. Subsequently, an overlying fungal infection and central descemetocele with perforation emerged. She underwent therapeutic tectonic penetrating keratoplasty, and retransplanted seven days later. She presented rejection to the graft with opacification of the transplant and total cataract. She is currently awaiting the performance of optical penetrating keratoplasty and cataract surgery with intraocular lens implant, to restore corneal transparency and improve visual acuity.

Conclusions: the corneal ulcerative lesion presented by the patient is frequent in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In her case, as in the majority, there was no favorable response to treatment, so she should undergo optical penetrating keratoplasty and cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation. The early treatment of ocular affections contributes to improve the visual prognosis of the patient, for which it is recommended to formalize the periodic ophthalmological study to all patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis