Chinese expert consensus on diagnosis and treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis (2023)

Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a serious blinding corneal disease with a concealed onset.Clinical symptoms of AK are mainly characterized by irritation, corneal infiltration, and ulceration.Without timely and reasonable diagnosis and treatment, AK will cause visual impairment.AK is often misdiagnosed or over looked due to atypical early signs and insufficient knowledge of AK among clinicians and patients.These result in irreversible visual damage, which affects patients’ quality of vision and life.At present, there is no unified and standardized protocol worldwide for the diagnosis and treatment of AK, resulting in unclear treatment outcomes with inconsistent therapeutic methods.Based on extensive investigations and summaries of the problems in the diagnosis and treatment of AK in China and a large number of relevant literature worldwide reviewed, Chinese expert consensus on diagnosis and treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis (2023) was formulated by the Ocular Infection Group of Chinese Ophthalmologist Association and related domestic experts in corneal diseases.This consensus uses the Delphi method, face-to-face meeting and clinical experience of relevant Chinese experts to provide recommendations on the epidemiology, risk factors, etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and processes of diagnosis and treatment of AK.This expert consensus was formed to guide and further standardize the diagnosis and treatment of AK.