Neurotrophic Keratopathy Follow-up
- Author: Robert H Graham, MD; Chief Editor: Hampton Roy Sr, MD more...
Further Inpatient Care
Patients with stage 3 neurotrophic keratopathy should be hospitalized for daily follow-up care until significant improvement is seen.
Further Outpatient Care
Patients with stage 1 neurotrophic keratopathy can be monitored on an outpatient basis every 3-7 days.
Patients with stage 2 neurotrophic keratopathy should be monitored on an outpatient basis every 1-2 days until improvement is seen, then every 3-5 days until resolution.
Deterrence/Prevention
Educate all patients with corneal hypesthesia about their condition.
Carefully evaluate patients with herpes simplex or herpes zoster for corneal hypesthesia.
Carefully evaluate patients undergoing surgery for trigeminal neuralgia or acoustic neuroma for corneal hypesthesia postoperatively.
Complications
Complications are as follows:
- Corneal perforation
- Secondary bacterial keratitis
- Permanent decrease in acuity from corneal scarring and irregular astigmatism
Prognosis
Negative prognostic indicators include degree of sensory loss, duration of condition, and presence of other ocular surface disease.
Patient Education
Instruct patients to seek evaluation immediately if the eye becomes red or if the vision changes. Patients need to understand that serious conditions may not cause them any pain.
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