Xerophthalmia and cystic fibrosis
H. L. Brooks Jr, W. T. Driebe Jr and G. G. Schemmer
Vitreoretinal Foundation, Memphis, Tenn.
We treated two infants with failure to thrive who presented with clinical
evidence of conjunctival and corneal xerosis. One patient was referred with
possible infectious corneal ulcer thought to exist because there were deep
peripheral ulcerations of the cornea and associated hypopyon. The other
patient was initially thought to have a nasolacrimal duct obstruction
because of excessive tearing. Xerophthalmia secondary to vitamin A
deficiency was suspected and led to the diagnosis and treatment of cystic
fibrosis in each case. Therapy with vitamin A promptly resolved the
xerosis, but it also caused a transient rise in intracerebral pressure.
Xerophthalmia can still be a problem in developed countries when underlying
disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, lead to vitamin A malabsorption.
