Peripheral ulcerative keratitis secondary to tuberculosis: A case report and literature review

Rationale Compared with intraocular tuberculosis, ocular tuberculosis with ocular surface involvement is rare. Corneal involvement in ocular tuberculosis may include interstitial keratitis or peripheral ulcerative keratitis. We report a case of peripheral ulcerative keratitis directly caused by tuberculosis. Patient concerns A 20-year-old man complained of vision loss and pain in the left eye that had lasted for 1 week. A slit lamp examination of the left eye showed a corneal epithelial defect, interstitial corneal edema, and a white irregular infiltrative lesion and ulcer (with the dimension of 2 × 2.5 mm) in the inferior temporal region. Diagnoses The corneal ulcer was scraped, and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase chain reaction was positive. Interventions and outcomes After a month of oral antituberculosis treatment, the corneal ulcer resolved, and the intraocular inflammation improved. Lessons Peripheral ulcerative keratitis secondary to tuberculosis can be directly caused by M tuberculosis.