Atopic Keratoconjunctivitis (AKC) Differential Diagnoses

Updated: Feb 03, 2023
  • Author: Anne Chang-Godinich, MD, FACS; Chief Editor: Hampton Roy, Sr, MD  more...
  • Print
DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

Conditions to consider in the differential diagnosis of atopic keratoconjunctivitis include corneal thinning and perforation, secondary corneal infection, steroid-response glaucoma, and vernal conjunctivitis.

In vernal conjunctivitis, large conjunctival papillae are seen under the upper eyelid in the palpebral vernal or along the limbus in limbal vernal. In addition, vernal conjunctivitis is seen only in warm weather, whereas atopic keratoconjunctivitis tends to present with ocular symptoms that have little or no seasonal variation.

Differential Diagnoses