Relationship of contact lenses, pregnancy, and herpes simplex virus.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is one of the most common causes of corneal infections in the world, affecting more than 500,000 people in the United States alone. HSV keratitis recurrences can occur with systemic immunosuppression. Pregnancy can resemble a modified state of immunosuppression resulting in an increased risk for HSV keratitis. This type of immunosuppression combined with contact lens wear may have an additive effect and increase the possibility of HSV recurrence. Despite the obvious correlation, there are no reported cases in the literature. A case of bilateral HSV keratitis in a pregnant contact lens wearer is presented with an explanation of the causes and possible treatment methods.