Recurrence rates of herpes simplex virus keratitis in contact lens and non-contact lens wearers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the recurrence rates of herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis in contact lens wearers compared with non-contact lens wearers. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study. Charts of patients diagnosed with HSV keratitis seen at the Cleveland Clinic between January 2001 and December 2004 were reviewed. RESULTS: One hundred seventeen patients were included in this study: 21 contact lens wearers and 96 non-contact lens wearers. Contact lens wearers were found to have a higher median recurrence rate (0.4 episodes/year) compared with non-contact lens wearers (0.2 episodes/year) (P=0.02). A multivariate regression evaluating factors predictive of the number of recurrences found that contact lens use remained a significant predictive variable (P=0.02) when accounting for patient demographic and disease factors and variable follow-up time. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a history of HSV keratitis should be counseled about the potential increased risk of recurrence that may be associated with contact lens wear.