Recurrent HSK linked to greater HOAs

Eyes with a history of recurrent herpes keratitis (HSK) and no apparent decrease in visual acuity (VA) have greater optical aberrations compared with control eyes, according to a recent paper.

Professor Marc Labetoulle, et al., Service d'Ophtalmologie, Hopital Bicêtre, APHP, Université Paris Sud, France, enrolled 15 patients with a history of recurrent HSK and normal Snellen visual acuity and compared them to the normal fellow eyes (control group). An aberrometer was used to measure the OPD-SCAN II at least three months after the last case of herpes.

The HSK group demonstrated a significantly higher total HOA, trefoil and tetrafoil, compared to the control group. Modular transfer function and strehl ratio were lower in the HSK group and eyes with corneal opacities were more likely to present with greater optical aberrations, compared to eyes with a clear cornea.

The findings could explain some of the visual complaints of HSK patients, including decrease in contrast quality or reduced colour perception, compared to the unaffected contralateral eye even if VA is apparently normal in both eyes.

Please visit the British Journal of Ophthalmology to read the abstract.