Keratomalacia in a Patient With Psychogenic Vitamin A Deficiency.
PURPOSE: To report the clinical and histopathological findings of a patient with bilateral keratomalacia arising from severe vitamin A deficiency from panic disorder-related malnutrition. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 47-year-old male with panic disorder presented with 1 month of painful vision loss sequentially affecting the right and left eyes. He exhibited bilateral conjunctival xerosis with complete corneal melt in the right eye and a large corneal epithelial defect with underlying anterior chamber inflammation in the left eye. Laboratory investigation revealed undetectable serum vitamin A levels attributed to self-induced vomiting and starvation. He was treated with high-dose vitamin A, but the right eye required enucleation. The histological findings are reported. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin A deficiency in the absence of organic gastrointestinal abnormalities is exceedingly rare in the developed world. A strong index of suspicion and thorough review of systems are invaluable in evaluating patients with unexplained corneal melt.
Duke Scholars
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Related Subject Headings
- Xerophthalmia
- Vitamin A Deficiency
- Panic Disorder
- Ophthalmology & Optometry
- Middle Aged
- Malnutrition
- Male
- Humans
- Corneal Ulcer
- 3212 Ophthalmology and optometry
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Xerophthalmia
- Vitamin A Deficiency
- Panic Disorder
- Ophthalmology & Optometry
- Middle Aged
- Malnutrition
- Male
- Humans
- Corneal Ulcer
- 3212 Ophthalmology and optometry