# An Unusual Clinical Presentation of New-Onset Herpetic Necrotizing Sclerokeratitis After Implantable Collamer Lens Surgery: A Case Report

**Authors:** Heba M Alsharif, Rahaf M Alruwaili, Ahmed Alsaleh

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.86985 · Cureus · 2025-06-29

## TL;DR

A woman developed rare eye inflammation after a lens surgery, which improved with antiviral treatment.

## Contribution

Highlights an unusual case of herpetic necrotizing sclerokeratitis following ICL surgery.

## Key findings

- The patient showed scleral thinning and corneal issues consistent with herpetic necrotizing sclerokeratitis.
- Treatment with antivirals led to significant improvement over three months.
- Early detection and treatment were critical in preventing severe vision loss.

## Abstract

We report a case of atypical new-onset herpetic necrotizing sclerokeratitis after implantable collamer lens surgery. A 37-year-old healthy Saudi female, known to have keratoconus underwent keratoplasty 14 years ago, followed by implantable collamer lens surgery (ICL) for visual rehabilitation nine months ago in the left eye. She presented to our institute with a history of subacute painful ocular pain and redness in her left eye over seven months. Upon assessment, the left eye's visual acuity was 20/200. Examination of the anterior segment showed injected conjunctiva, episcleral and scleral blood vessels, scleral thinning associated with peripheral keratitis, keratic precipitates, and decreased corneal sensation. Diagnostic ultrasonography (B-scan) revealed mild vitreous opacities with a normal optic nerve head and no retinal choroidal thickening. The results of the right eye examination were unremarkable. The patient was found to have atypical herpetic necrotizing sclerokeratitis and was treated with topical and oral antivirals for three months, with significant improvement. Thus, timely detection and treatment were crucial for minimizing vision-threatening complications.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** keratoconus (MONDO:0015486)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** AP2B1 (adaptor related protein complex 2 subunit beta 1) [NCBI Gene 163] {aka ADTB2, AP105B, AP2-BETA, CLAPB1}
- **Diseases:** ICL (MESH:D060437), vision loss (MESH:D014786), Necrotizing scleritis (MESH:D015423), herpetic keratitis (MESH:D016849), ocular sarcoidosis (MESH:D012507), ocular pain (MESH:D058447), corneal edema (MESH:D015715), HIV (MESH:D015658), pupillary defect (MESH:D011681), tuberculosis (MESH:D014376), syphilis (MESH:D013587), lymphadenopathy (MESH:D008206), herpes zoster (MESH:D006562), lung lesions (MESH:D008171), ulcers (MESH:D014456), keratic precipitates (MESH:D007634), autoimmune (MESH:D001327), vitreous opacities (MESH:D003318), bacterial (MESH:D001424), epithelial defect (MESH:D009375), Urrets-Zavalia syndrome (MESH:D013577), corneal epithelial defect (MESH:C536444), HSV (MESH:D006561), anterior uveitis (MESH:D014606), proptosis (MESH:D005094), dendritic keratitis (MESH:D007635), uveitis (MESH:D014605), herpetic disease (MESH:D020803), cystoid macular edema (MESH:D008269), ocular infection (MESH:D015817), herpetic eye disease (MESH:D005128), inflammation (MESH:D007249), keratoconus (MESH:D007640), herpetic infection (MESH:D007239), pigment dispersion (MESH:C563184), corneal hypoesthesia (MESH:D006987), pain (MESH:D010146), ocular viral disease (MESH:D015828), rheumatoid factor (MESH:D001171), cataract (MESH:D002386), hepatitis (MESH:D056486), Necrotizing Sclerokeratitis (MESH:D009336), viral infection (MESH:D014777)
- **Chemicals:** valacyclovir (MESH:D000077483), Collamer (-), ganciclovir (MESH:D015774), ceftazidime (MESH:D002442), cyclopentolate (MESH:D003519), vancomycin (MESH:D014640)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Human alphaherpesvirus 1 (Herpes simplex virus type 1, no rank) [taxon 10298], Herpes virus [taxon 39059]

## Full text

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## References

12 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12306957/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12306957