Corneal melting secondary to malnutrition and systemic steroid abuse: a case report

Steroids are arguably one of the most important drugs in modern medicine, utilized in many disorders. Their use, however, is not without complications. Medically unsupervised misuse of corticosteroids can have devastating, potentially fatal complications. We report a case of a 27-year-old female with history of bariatric surgery and extensive weight loss 10 years prior to her presentation at Kasr Al Ainy, Cairo University Hospitals, Emergency Department (ED). She decided, without seeking medical advice, to take 90 mg oral prednisolone to gain weight 3 months before presenting with left corneal melting and perforation. Emergency tectonic graft surgery was done to salvage globe.