All About Thygeson's superficial punctate keratopathy

Thygeson's superficial punctate keratopathy (TSPK) is a disease of the eyes. The causes of TSPK are not currently known, but details of the disease were first published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1950 by Phillips Thygeson - after whom it is named.

Symptoms

A patient with TSPK may complain of blurred vision, watery eyes, a sensation of having a foreign body stuck in the eye and sensitivity to bright light. On inspection with a slit lamp, tiny lumps can be found on the cornea of the eye. These lumps can be more easily seen after applying fluorescein or rose bengal dye eye-drops. The lumps appear to be randomly positioned on the cornea and they may appear and disappear over a period of time (with or without treatment).

TSPK may affect one or both eyes. When both eyes are affected, the tiny lumps found on the cornea may differ in number between eyes. The severity of the symptoms often vary during the course of the disease. The disease may appear to go into remission, only to later reappear after months or years.

Causes

The causes of TSPK are not currently known.

Treatment

There are a number of different treatments to deal with TSPK. Symptoms may disappear without treatment, but treatment may help increase time to and success of remission.

* Artificial tear eye-drops or ointments may be a suitable treatment for mild cases.
* Low-dosage steroidal eye-drops, such as prednisone, fluorometholone or rimexolone. Steroidal drops should be used with caution and the eye pressure should be regularly checked during treatment.
* Soft contact lenses.
* Cyclosporine is an experimental treatment for TSPK. It is usually used during transplants as it reduces the immune system response.
* Laser eye treatment.

Reference

* Thygeson P. Superficial punctate keratitis. J Am Med Assoc 1950;144:1544-9. PMID 14794375.

See also

* List of eye diseases and disorders