Disappearance of honeycomb opacity of Thiel-Behnke corneal dystrophy after Thygeson superficial punctate keratitis

Purpose: To present an unusual case in which the honeycomb opacities of Thiel-Behnke corneal dystrophy disappeared during a course of chronic Thygeson superficial punctate keratitis. Case: A 29-year-old woman with a 5-year history of decreased visual acuity in both eyes had bilateral honeycomb-shaped corneal opacities, located mainly in the superficial central cornea. She was diagnosed as having Thiel-Behnke corneal dystrophy, which we confirmed genetically. During follow-up, her left eye was affected by chronic Thygeson superficial punctate keratitis, and the honeycomb opacity in this eye was noted to have disappeared. Conclusions: We observed the dissolution of honeycomb-like corneal opacities in a patient with confirmed Thiel-Behnke corneal dystrophy after the patient subsequently contracted chronic Thygeson superficial punctate keratitis. We surmise that epithelial inflammation associated with Thygeson epithelial keratitis may play a role in dissolving the honeycomb opacities.