Keratitis and Keratopathy: New Insights into Diagnosis and Treatment

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Ophthalmology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 November 2024 | Viewed by 3578

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Centre Hospitalier National d’Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, 28, rue de Charenton, 75012 Paris, France
Interests: cornea; keratoconus; corneal graft; refractive surgery; infectious keratitis; corneal innervation; corneal neurotization

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre Hospitalier National d’Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, 28, rue de Charenton, 75012 Paris, France
Interests: cornea; keratoconus; corneal graft; refractive surgery; infectious keratitis; stems cells

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Keratitis is an inflammatory process of the cornea. It can be classified into infectious and non-infectious disease. Infectious keratitis can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, while non-infectious keratitis can be caused by autoimmune diseases or neurotrophic condition.

The management of ocular infectious diseases is challenging, and it is widely accepted that ocular infections are among the leading causes of corneal blindness. Currently, laboratory testing represents the most common diagnostic approach for infectious keratitis, although recently next-generation sequencing and artificial-intelligence and imaging methods like in vivo confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography have demonstrated their value in infectious keratitis diagnosis. In addition, the efficacy of topical antimicrobial treatment is being increasingly challenged by the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Surgical interventions such as therapeutic corneal cross-linking, amniotic membrane transplantation, and therapeutic keratoplasty are often required to manage the infection. Emerging antimicrobial therapies and innovative drug delivery of antimicrobial therapy have recently demonstrated promise. Neurotrophic keratopathy has also seen its management recently evolve, with the arrival of new medical treatments such as NGF eye drops and surgery with minimally invasive corneal neurotization. At last, auto-immune keratitis management is often challenging.

We are pleased to present this Special Issue of the Journal of Clinical Medicine, which aims to publish high-quality manuscripts covering new research into the current state of keratitis and keratopathy diagnosis and treatment. New and original studies involved into the pathogenesis, the diagnostic and therapeutic methods that may be used in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of keratitis and keratopathy are welcome for submission. Acceptable article types include systematic reviews, clinical trials, prospective/retrospective studies, and case series.

Prof. Dr. Nacim Bouheraoua
Prof. Dr. Vincent Michel Borderie
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • cornea
  • keratitis
  • infectious keratitis
  • bacterial keratitis
  • fungal keratitis
  • acanthamoeba keratitis
  • herpetic keratitis
  • neurotrophic keratopathy
  • corneal innervation
  • corneal neurotization
  • auto-immune keratitis
  • peripheral ulcerative keratitis
  • amniotic membrane transplantation
  • antimicrobial therapy
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • artificial intelligence
  • corneal cross-linking
  • host defense peptide
  • keratoplasty
  • next-generation sequencing
  • optical coherence tomogra-phy
  • in vivo confocal microscopy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

13 pages, 4139 KiB  
Review
From Clinical Suspicion to Diagnosis: A Review of Diagnostic Approaches and Challenges in Fungal Keratitis
by Panagiotis Toumasis, Andreas G. Tsantes, Anastasia Tsiogka, George Samonis and Georgia Vrioni
J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(1), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13010286 - 4 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2552
Abstract
Fungal keratitis is a relatively rare yet severe ocular infection that can lead to profound vision impairment and even permanent vision loss. Rapid and accurate diagnosis plays a crucial role in the effective management of the disease. A patient’s history establishes the initial [...] Read more.
Fungal keratitis is a relatively rare yet severe ocular infection that can lead to profound vision impairment and even permanent vision loss. Rapid and accurate diagnosis plays a crucial role in the effective management of the disease. A patient’s history establishes the initial clinical suspicion since it can provide valuable clues to potential predisposing factors and sources of fungal exposure. Regarding the evaluation of the observed symptoms, they are not exclusive to fungal keratitis, but their timeline can aid in distinguishing fungal keratitis from other conditions. Thorough clinical examination of the affected eye with a slit-lamp microscope guides diagnosis because some clinical features are valuable predictors of fungal keratitis. Definitive diagnosis is established through appropriate microbiological investigations. Direct microscopic examination of corneal scrapings or biopsy specimens can assist in the presumptive diagnosis of fungal keratitis, but culture remains the gold standard for diagnosing fungal keratitis. Advanced molecular techniques such as PCR and MALDI-ToF MS are explored for their rapid and sensitive diagnostic capabilities. Non-invasive techniques like in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) are useful for real-time imaging. Every diagnostic technique has both advantages and drawbacks. Also, the selection of a diagnostic approach can depend on various factors, including the specific clinical context, the availability of resources, and the proficiency of healthcare personnel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Keratitis and Keratopathy: New Insights into Diagnosis and Treatment)
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