Three patients contracted fungal keratitis after undergoing laser eye surgery at a New York City clinic in December 2024, according to a report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
When the patients reported eye pain and vision loss after surgery, the clinic sent corneal specimens to a clinical laboratory that returned findings of fungal elements on microscopy. Cultures later revealed Purpureocillium lilacinum in two of the patient specimens. The laboratory then notified the New York City Health Department, according to the report.
Michelle E. Chang, MD, and colleagues wrote that the first