What causes Mooren ulcer?

It has been postulated that Mooren’s ulcer may result from an autoimmune etiology. Sensitization to calgranulin C, an antigen expressed by corneal stromal keratinocytes, may occur after trauma or infection of the cornea, causing the unveiling of this hidden corneal antigen.

What is Dellen in the eye?

Corneal dellen are small saucer-like excavations at the margin of the cornea. They occur most often following processes which produce a paralimbal elevation that is able to induce a localized break in the precorneal oily layer of the tears which, in turn, causes a localized dehydration and thinning of the cornea.

What causes corneal Dellen?

Dellen are caused by interruptions of the tear film and local dehydration of the cornea. If untreated, they may lead to corneal perforation. We describe the case of a patient who developed corneal dellen 15 days after uneventful pterygium excision with CLAG with fibrin glue without the use of antimetabolites.

What is PUK disease?

Peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK), also known as peripheral corneal ulceration, is a potentially devastating disorder consisting of a crescent-shaped destructive inflammation at the margin of corneal stroma that is associated with an epithelial defect, presence of stromal inflammatory cells, and progressive stromal …

How do you treat a PUK?

The treatment of PUK depends on the severity of ocular and associated systemic disease. The primary treatment for acute disease control is systemic corticosteroids, often started at 0.5-1 mg/kg/d with a maximum dose of 60-80 mg daily (5,7,11).

What is corneal melt?

Corneal melting is a common prelude to the development of corneal perforation. This process occurs from conditions such as infections, sterile inflammation, or surgical/chemical injury to the cornea. 1, 2, 3. Collectively, these conditions are a significant cause for blindness world-wide.

What causes Phlyctenulosis?

Inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea induced by microbial antigens. Causative organisms include: Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Chlamydia sp. Candida albicans and parasites (Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale).

What is Mooren’s ulceration?

This is a painful and progressive corneal ulcer typically seen in elderly patients. Bilateral aggressive Mooren’s ulceration (BAM). This type occurs in young patients. The ulcer progresses circumferentially then centrally in the cornea.

What are the diagnostic criteria for Mooren’s ulcer?

(Figure reproduced from Srinivasan, Zegans, Zelefsky, Kundu, Lietman, Whitcher, and Cunningham [3] with permission from the British Journal of Ophthalmology.) The diagnosis of Mooren’s ulcer requires the absence of any ocular infection or systemic rheumatological diseases known to cause peripheral corneal ulceration .

Is Mooren’s ulcer more prevalent in endemic areas of ascariasis?

However, Mooren’s ulcer has not been proven to be more prevalent in endemic areas of ascariasis. It has been found that certain HLA alleles may be associated with Mooren’s ulcer.

Is there an association between Mooren’s ulcer and hookworm infection?

An association has also been demonstrated between Mooren’s ulceration and hookworm infection . Certain helminths express receptors for calgranulin C, suggesting that there may be a helminthic antigen that cross-reacts with calgranulin C . A previous infection has also been found to be a risk factor .