**1. Introduction**

Among the complications after refractive surgery is keratitis, of which there are infectious and non-infectious types. Non-infectious keratitis is the most frequent and generally has the best prognosis. As for infectious infiltrative keratitis, it is a relatively uncommon clinical entity, although a very feared one.

The corneal defense mechanisms against infections are varied and generally effective; within these mechanisms are the following [1, 2]:


All these mechanisms, however, can become impaired in cases of trauma, burns, alterations of the ocular surface, and also in some cases of refractive surgery.

Photoablative refractive surgery, either laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) or surface surgery (PRK), makes the cornea more liable to infections. Although infectious keratitis is a rare complication, it can also be devastating if adequate and timely measures are not taken [2]. As for the novel technique of small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), only a few cases of infectious keratitis have been described so far [3–5].
