Background: Respiratory and gastrointestinal manifestations are the main causes of mortality and morbidity in cystic fibrosis. Although these symptoms are well recognized, ophthalmic involvement of cystic fibrosis secondary to vitamin A deficiency is uncommon and has been reported very rarely in the medical literature.
Case presentation: Here, we report a 2.5-year-old Iranian boy who presented with bilateral corneal xerosis and corneal opacity secondary to vitamin A deficiency related to cystic fibrosis malabsorption.
Conclusion: Malabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins is a common presentation in cystic fibrosis, but corneal opacity secondary to vitamin A deficiency as the initial presentation of cystic fibrosis is a very rare manifestation of fat malabsorption. This highlights the importance of complete systemic examination besides ophthalmic examination in approaching a child with ophthalmic complaint.
Keywords: Atypical; Corneal opacity; Corneal xerosis; Cystic fibrosis.
© 2022. The Author(s).