[Acanthamoebal keratitis]

Acanthamoebae are protists causing opportunistic infections to immunocompromised patients, and refractory keratitis also to others. Factors predisposing to Acanthamoebae keratitis include conditions that impair corneal defence mechanisms, such as traumas or use of contact lenses combined with exposure to contaminated water, for example. Delays in diagnosis and therapy will worsen the prognosis of acanthamoebal keratitis. In recent years, noninvasive in vivo confocal microscopy that enables an early diagnosis and is quicker than before, has become more common alongside conventional diagnostic methods, i.e. culture and smears made from corneal specimens.