therapeutic effect of corneal collagen cross-linking in necrotizing herpetic stromal keratitis, report of two cases

purpose: to evaluate the effectiveness of corneal collagen cross-linking with uv-a and riboflavin (cxl) for treatment of refractory herpes simplex virus necrotizing keratitis. case reports: two patients with a diagnosis of hsv necrotizing stromal keratitis referred to khalili hospital eye emergency room and who were resistant to conventional treatment underwent cxl. response to treatment was evaluated clinically by speed of reepithelialization and decrease in stromal infiltration. one patient had history of previous corneal graft because of hsv kerstitis and had a good response to cxl. another patient had a relatively good response, but recurrence was occurred. conclusion: although cxl seems promising in the treatment of patients with refractory necrotizing keratitis, in some cases it may less effective and recurrence is possible.