Adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis in a tertiary care eye clinic

Purpose: To elucidate the natural history and epidemiology of adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis as seen in a tertiary care eye clinic. Methods: In a retrospective observational case series design, the medical records of 54 consecutive patients seen over a 6-year period at the Dean McGee Eye Institute (DMEI) with a diagnosis of adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis were analyzed retrospectively. The main outcome measure was the duration of symptomatic subepithelial corneal infiltrates following onset of acute conjunctivitis. Results: Annual case numbers ranged from 3 each in 1997 and 1998 to 26 in 2000. No more than 5 new cases presented in any single month, and no seasonal predominance was evident. The median duration of disease was 5 weeks, but the mean was 23.4 weeks, reflecting a subset of patients with a prolonged course. Indeed, 14 (25.9%) of 54 patients demonstrated symptomatic subepithelial corneal infiltrates for more than 45 days from the first examination for conjunctivitis. Conclusion: These data suggest a significant level of long-term morbidity for adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis.