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Medical Author:

Jay Robert Woody, MD

Jay Robert Woody, MD

Dr. Jay Woody is a diplomat of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine and is an Attending Physician at Parkland Health and Hospital System, Children's Medical Center of Dallas as well as several other north Texas facilities. He is a well-known and widely published authority in the field of emergency medicine and the former regional medical director of a freestanding emergency medicine practice.

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Medical Editor:

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Dr. Dahl's educational background includes a BA with Honors and Distinction from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, and an MD from Cornell University, where he was selected for Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. He had an internal medical internship at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center.

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• Patients with HSV keratitis may complain of the following:



• Pain
• Photophobia
• Blurred vision
• Tearing
• Redness

A history of prior episodes in patients with recurrent disease may exist.

Symptoms usually resemble those of common conjunctivitis, so the diagnosis of herpes simplex infection is frequently not made. The infection may resolve on its own or, especially if the infection reactivates, it can affect the cornea more extensively, and symptoms may be more severe.

Symptoms of a reactivation include eye pain, blurred vision, tearing, redness, and sensitivity to bright light. Rarely, the infection worsens and the cornea swells, making vision even more hazy. The more frequently the infection recurs, the more likely there is to be further damage to the cornea. Several recurrences may result in the formation of deep ulcers, permanent scarring, and a loss of feeling when the eye is touched. The herpes simplex virus may also cause blood vessels to grow onto the cornea and this alone can lead to significant visual impairment.

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