Acute Keratoconus-Like Corneal Hydrops Secondary to Ocular Massage Following Trabeculectomy

Purpose: To report a case of acute keratoconus-like corneal hydrops in a patient with long-term ocular massage following trabeculectomy. Methods: Case report and review of medical literature. Results: A rare complication of acute keratoconus-like corneal hydrops occurred in a patient following the use of ocular massage to maintain satisfactory aqueous humor filtration after trabeculectomy. The patient had a history of high myopia but denied previous ocular trauma, allergic disease and a family history of keratoconus. Slit-lamp examination demonstrated keratoconus-like corneal hydrops with formation of epithelial microcystic, and intrastromal cleft. He was diagnosed with acute corneal hydrops in the right eye and received intracameral gas (16% perfluoropropane) injection. On 5 months follow-up, the corneal edema was significantly improved. Conclusions: There may be a contributory relationship between the long-term post-trabeculectomy massage and the development of acute corneal hydrops. When prescribing therapeutic massage, patients should be followed up carefully to monitor for unexpected complications.