Exogenous mycotic infections of the eye and adnexia.

Three cases of exogenous mycotic infections of the eye are presented. The first is a case of keratitis in a patient suffering from glaucoma simplex who removed a foreign body from the cornea, caused by Fusarium solani, generally known as a saprophytic soil and plant inhabitant. As factors predisposing the patient to infection, trauma to the cornea like injury by a foreign body, as well as the preexisting disease of the eye, are discussed. The other case illustrates the change in the pathogenicity of an otherwise innocent fungus like Penicillium, which penetrated the sclera after injury of the eye by a broken airpiece of a drill and caused a severe endophathalmitis. The infection responded well to treatment with 5-fluorocytosine. The last case represents a rather mild well-known mycotic infection by Streptomyces somaliensis causing canaliculitis in a patient admitted for cataract surgery. Curettage of the infected canaliculus followed by iodine washout proved to be effective. The importance of the early clinical and laboratory diagnosis in order to avoid mistreatment with antibiotics and steroids and to ensure the right antimycotic treatment is stressed.