Investigative ophthalmology & visual science
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Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. · Sep 2010
Selective changes in human corneal sensation associated with herpes simplex virus keratitis.
To determine corneal sensitivity to selective mechanical, chemical, and thermal (heat and cold) stimulation in patients with a history of herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis. ⋯ In eyes that had had HSV keratitis, corneal sensitivity to mechanical forces and heat was significantly impaired, suggesting that axonal damage and/or altered expression of membrane ion channels involved in transduction and membrane excitability affects primarily the mechano- and polymodal nociceptor terminals. Corneal cold-sensitive terminals remain largely unaffected.