Bilateral Corneal Perforation in a Patient with Chronic Ocular Graft-Versus-Host Disease: A Case Report and Literature Review

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Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a serious complication that may occur in patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). GVHD occurs because of the immunological reaction between the donor’s T cells and the recipient’s antigens; GVHD may develop in different tissues, including the eye. Corneal perforation is an uncommon but vision-threatening manifestation of GVHD. We reported the case of a 65-year-old male patient who developed corneal perforation sequentially in both eyes 3 years after receiving HSCT. Conservative treatment with topical steroids and lubricants, bandage contact lens, and lacrimal punctal occlusion surgery resulted in the successful resolution of the corneal perforation with satisfactory visual recovery in the right eye. Therefore, corneal perforation can occur as the presenting manifestation of ocular GVHD. Regular ophthalmological examinations are recommended after HSCT to enable the early diagnosis of ocular GVHD and prompt treatment initiation.