Corneal involvement in systemic inflammatory diseases.

Corneal involvement in patients with systemic inflammatory disorders may be sight threatening, and it may be associated with a life-threatening disease. Significant systemic inflammatory diseases in this context are autoimmune connective tissue diseases, systemic autoimmune dermatological disorders, and autoimmune diseases of the lacrimal system. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca is usually the most common ocular finding in these patients. Peripheral ulcerative keratitis is a rare condition usually associated with increased ocular morbidity and also mortality, as it might act as an indicator of a more widespread vasculitis. Corneal biomechanical properties may also be altered in connective tissue diseases. Although recent studies suggest that the risk for corneal complications after ocular surgery in patients with quiescent autoimmune disease is minimal, caution is still recommended, as the knowledge about the corneal wound-healing process and the corneal biomechanical properties in these patients is not yet fully understood. This article reviews corneal abnormalities and characteristics in the setting of systemic inflammatory diseases.