[Sterile Keratitis].

Sterile keratitis shows multiple manifestations. It may occur as an ophthalmological problem but can also be part of a systemic disease, including potentially lethal systemic vasculitis. Diagnosis as well as management of this disease is a challenging task for the ophthalmologist. There are therapeutic principles which apply to all non-infectious cases of keratitis and corneal ulcerations. Specific treatments, however, are determined by the pathogenesis and may differ. Therefore, an accurate diagnosis must guide therapeutic decision making. The correct diagnosis and management of sterile ulcerative keratitis is able to restore the patient's vision in most cases. In potentially lethal systemic disease it may even be able to save the patient's life. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.