Histopathology and molecular diagnosis of corneal infections

Infectious keratitis is an important cause of visual loss worldwide. Clinical diagnosis in the past was often supported only by microbiology and pathology to a lesser extent. Recent advances in the histological and molecular diagnosis of corneal infections have resulted in rapid and accurate diagnosis of the infectious agent. This review will provide an overview of the various corneal infections, with emphasis on histopathologic and molecular diagnosis. This is more so in cases where microbiology, the gold standard for corneal infections, comes out as negative. Thus a cumulative input from clinical, microbiology, histopathology and molecular methods of diagnosis not only helps in treating the patients but also contributes to better understanding of the disease process and paves the way to evaluate the emerging modalities of treatment like disease modifying medications, biomaterials and surgical techniques.