Background: We describe two severe cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) keratitis following Epi-LASIK surgery.
Cases: One patient was a 23-year-old man who underwent Epi-LASIK surgery in both eyes. He developed an infectious corneal ulcer in one eye 2 days after surgery and was referred to us 7 days post-surgery with corneal perforation, for which we performed therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty. The other patient was a 32-year-old man who developed infectious keratitis in one eye 4 days after bilateral Epi-LASIK and was referred to us 2 days later.
Observations: Microbial testing revealed MRSA infection as the cause of the keratitis in both patients which was successfully treated with vancomycin eyedrops.
Conclusion: Infectious keratitis after refractive surgery is uncommon; it is important to diagnose this condition, identify the causative agent, and initiate treatment with appropriate antibiotics as soon as possible.