Red coral keratitis.

PURPOSE

We describe a 39-year-old woman who was seen for pain and blurred vision in the right eye that presented immediately after scuba diving several inches from a red coral reef.

METHODS

The patient was found to have multiple superficial corneal foreign bodies with adjacent infiltrates on slit-lamp examination. She was treated with long-term topical corticosteroids.

RESULTS

The infiltrates and symptoms gradually resolved after nearly 3 months of treatment.

CONCLUSION

This case represents a form of keratitis caused by exposure to red coral. Possible mechanisms for the keratitis include type I and 4 hypersensitivities, resulting from the release of vasoactive substances. This is triggered by the red coral's nematocysts, or toxin-releasing organelles. Long-term corticosteroid treatment was effective in resolving the lesions.