Summary A study of ocular changes in reactions in leprosy was undertaken to assign these changes, their proper place in the wide spectrum of ocular morbidity in leprosy. 76· 1 % of eyes of Type I reaction and 89·7% of eyes with Type II reaction showed some ocular involvement. Corneal hypoaesthesia, superficial punctate keratitis,. a decrease of corneal film break up time (BUT), prominent corneal nerves, pigment on the endothelium of the cornea and a pigmented trabecular meshwork were the common ocular findings. The incidence of iridocyclitis in Type II reactions was low (8· 1 %). The significance of the ocular involvement in reactions in leprosy and the pathogenesis of iridocyclitis in Type II reactions is discussed.Ocular leprosy presents a formidable challenge to the leprologist as it is still responsible for some of the most distressing aspects of the disease. Around one million people of the world's leprosy population are blind. 1The potentially sight-threatening lesions of leprosy are iridocyclitis and its sequelae; corneal anaesthesia, exposure keratitis due to lagophthalmos, leprous keratitis, scleritis and secondary glaucoma.2.3Leprosy patients may suffer from a variety of reactions, the most common being the reversal reaction (Type I) and the erythema nodosum leprosum (Type II). Reversal reactions are episodes of increased inflammatory activity in the skin lesions, peripheral nerves or both. Type II reactions are generated against intravascular and extravascular immune complexes and are characterized by acute inflammations in any organ or tissue where the My cobacterium leprae are fo und.Though textbooks on leprosy cover the ocular changes in reactions in leprosy, 1.4 as yet, there has been no systematic study of these changes. Some reports are anecdotal,5.6 while others are by nonophthalmologists where the assessment of the eye may not have been adequate.7,sWe undertook a study of the incidence of the ocular changes in reactions in leprosy so that these changes could be assigned their proper place in the wide spectrum of ocular morbidity in leprosy.
Congenital corneal anesthesia (CCA) is a rare clinical entity that presents a whole gamut of problems before lending itself to a diagnosis by the clinician. Not recognizing the history of self-inflicted corneal injuries, not evaluating the corneal sensations in a child with recurrent corneal ulceration, misdiagnosis of such cases as viral keratitis, and not ruling out all the secondary causes of corneal anesthesia, as well as the other causes of self-inflicted injuries, are some of the pitfalls in the diagnosis of congenital corneal anesthesia. Four cases representative of different aspects of CCA are presented. The problems in the diagnosis of these cases are discussed. A clinical classification of congenital corneal anesthesia is suggested and the systemic anomalies associated with this disorder are enumerated.
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