The
term
"
corneal
ulcer
"
is
often
used
interchangeably
with
"
bacterial
keratitis
,
"
although
,
____________________
practice
,
these
are
two
different
entities
.
____________________
keratitis
denotes
a
bacterial
infection
of
the
eye
that
causes
inflammation
and
,
potentially
,
ulceration
of
____________________
cornea
,
whereas
corneal
ulcer
describes
a
loss
of
corneal
tissue
due
to
____________________
possible
causes
.
Although
acute
corneal
ulcers
in
emergency
settings
are
most
likely
infectious
in
etiology
,
other
sterile
causes
of
ulceration
exist
.
This
article
specifically
addresses
sterile
corneal
ulcers
____________________
with
autoinflammatory
diseases
.
The
most
common
autoimmune
pathologies
with
ocular
manifestations
____________________
rheumatoid
arthritis
(
RA
)
,
systemic
lupus
erythematosus
(
SLE
)
,
connective
-
tissue
disorders
(
Sjögren
syndrome
,
____________________
,
relapsing
polychondritis
)
,
and
vasculitis
(
granulomatosis
with
polyangiitis
[
GPA
]
,
polyarteritis
nodosa
,
and
,
rarely
,
Behcet
disease
)
.
Patients
with
____________________
manifestations
of
autoinflammatory
diseases
often
have
keratoconjunctivitis
sicca
(
dry
eye
syndrome
)
,
which
can
cause
corneal
____________________
.
Less
frequently
,
the
autoinflammatory
process
can
also
directly
attack
the
cornea
,
causing
peripheral
ulcerative
keratitis
(
PUK
)
,
____________________
condition
that
demands
aggressive
treatment
.
