A non-healing corneal ulcer as the presenting feature of type 1 diabetes mellitus: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Diabetic keratopathy is a rare complication of diabetes mellitus. This case illustrates the importance of checking blood sugar levels of patients with non-healing corneal ulcers to rule out the possibility of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the unusual case of a 24-year-old southeast Asian woman who presented with a sterile corneal ulcer to our hospital and later was found to be diabetic after a prolonged hospital stay. Despite all efforts, the corneal ulcer had failed to heal until treatment for previously undiagnosed diabetes was started. The sterile corneal ulcer began to heal once blood sugar levels began to normalize. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic keratopathy is a rare complication of diabetes mellitus and needs to be considered as a diagnosis in younger patients with non-healing sterile corneal ulcers. Blood sugar levels should be checked in these cases for undiagnosed diabetes mellitus.