American journal of ophthalmology case reports 2022 Aug 26
Bilateral corneal perforation in Ipilimumab/Nivolumab - associated peripheral ulcerative keratitis.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE
To present a case of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced bilateral peripheral ulcerative keratitis that progressed to corneal perforation requiring keratoplasty in both eyes.
OBSERVATIONS
We describe the course of a 60-year-old man treated with a combination of Ipilimumab and Nivolumab for metastatic melanoma who presented with foreign body sensation and epiphora in both eyes.Bilateral immune-related peripheral ulcerative keratitis was refractory to topical anti-inflammatory therapy, necessitating repetitive, but unsuccessful cyanoacrylate gluing procedure followed by bilateral lamellar mini-keratoplasty.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE
Combined immune checkpoint inhibition revokes the corneal immune privilege and can lead to auto-immune keratitis with recalcitrant progression to ulceration and perforation.
New answer by at UCLA Stein Eye Institute (May 19, 2025)
I am aware of at least one case report describing this situation (Aschauer et al., PMID 36072439)Ideally, the offending medication is halted, but when dealing with life-t...