[Clinical features of 10 cases with phlyctenular keratitis]

We investigated 15 eyes of 10 patients with phlyctenular keratitis. The patients were 6 men and 4 women, and their ages ranged between 3 and 56 years (mean, 17.8 years). The follow-up periods ranged from 0.5 to 48 months (mean, 14 months). Clinically, complications in many cases were papillary hyperplasia in palpebral conjunctiva, meibomian gland infarct, chalazion, and blepharitis. Microbial examination from the lid margin before treatment revealed bacteria in 4 eyes of 4 patients out of 9 eyes of 8 patients. The level of serum specific IgE antibody was high in only 1 patient out of 6. We classified the clinical course into 3 stages, namely, infiltrative, nodule, and cicatricial stages. We also investigated the transition of the disease among the stages. All the cases of the infiltrative stage progressed to the nodule stage, and 92% of the nodule stage went on to the cicatricial stage. However 14% of the cicatricial stage cases reverted to the infiltrative stage and 7% to the nodule stage.