epidemic keratoconjunctivitis

keratoconjunctivitis /ker·a·to·con·junc·ti·vi·tis/ (-kon-junk″tĭ-vi´tis) inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva.

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epidemic keratoconjunctivitis  a highly infectious form, commonly with regional lymph node involvement, occurring in epidemics; an adenovirus has been repeatedly isolated from affected patients.

phlyctenular keratoconjunctivitis  a form marked by formation of a small, gray, circumscribed lesion at the corneal limbus.

keratoconjunctivitis sic´ca  a condition marked by hyperemia of the conjunctiva, thickening and drying of the corneal epithelium, itching and burning of the eye and, often, reduced visual acuity.

viral keratoconjunctivitis  epidemic k.

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epidemic keratoconjunctivitis

n.

A highly infectious follicular conjunctivitis of the eye caused by an adenovirus and characterized by inflammation but little exudate. Also called virus keratoconjunctivitis.

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epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC)

Etymology: Gk, epi, above, demos, the people, keras, horn; L, conjunctivus; Gk, itis, inflammation

an adenovirus infection consisting of an acute, severely painful conjunctivitis followed by keratitis. In the western world, EKC strikes predominantly in selected environments: industry eye clinics, emergency rooms, nursing homes, schools, camps, and child-care centers. The virus is often found on the hands of people with active EKC. Hand-to-eye transmission is felt to be a common method of spread, especially in the medical setting. Swimming pools and schools have been implicated in transmission, and it can spread through inanimate objects. In the eye clinic and emergency room, instruments and contaminated eye drops can transmit the virus. EKC is quite contagious and prone to epidemics that may be quite large. It is treated by lubrication with artificial tears.