AIM: To observe thickness and morphological changes of bulbar conjunctiva pre- and post epidemic hemorrhagic conjunctivitis(EHC)therapy by optical coherence tomography(OCT).

METHODS: Observed morphological changes and measured the bulbar conjunctiva thicknesses of 29 cases(36 eyes)of incipient(1-2d)EHC patients, who were received and treated by department of ophthalmology, the Putuo Affiliated Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from May 2013 to December 2013, by OCT. Then measured the thickness again on 7, 14d after the therapy.

RESULTS: Among 29 patients(36 eyes), 7d after the EHC therapy, in 27 cured eyes, the full-thickness(before 344.00±59.91μm, after 230.19±22.16μm, t=11.75, P<0.01); epithelial thickness(before 56.52±6.19μm, after 51.37±5.53μm, t=4.61, P<0.01); and stromal thickness(before 287.11±60.56μm, after 178.81±20.20μm, t=10.69, P<0.01)of patients' bulbar conjunctiva were thicker than values measured after therapy with significant difference. Significant difference was also found for full-thickness(before 361.39±65.56μm, after 233.44±22.57μm, the difference was statistically significant, t=14.45, P<0.01); epithelial thickness(before 55.50±6.72μm, after 46.67±5.24μm, t=10.06, P<0.01)and stromal thickness(before 305.61±66.02μm, after 186.78±21.82μm, t=13.11, P<0.01)of patients' bulbar conjunctiva between values measured before and 14d after therapy.

CONCLUSION: The OCT is able to measure the thickness of bulbar conjunctiva in EHC patients. An significant increase was found in full, epithelial and stromal thickness of EHC patients' bulbar conjunctiva. With recovery from the disease, subepithelial fluid, interlaminar fluid and edema of the bulbar conjunctival stroma faded away firstly, which provide references for clinical therapies of the EHC.