Crohn's colitis and the cornea

Ulcerative colitis (Crohn's disease) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. The most common ocular complications include conjunctivitis and uveitis, particularly iritis. Herein, we describe a patient who had a decrease in visual acuity due to an increasing astigmatism. This was accompanied with a peripheral limbal thinning of the cornea and faint confluent corneal changes. No systemic activity was present during the period that the patient was monitored. Changes of astigmatism were followed up with videokeratography. This apparatus monitors changes in clinical course accurately and makes comparison possible between separate visits.