Original ArticleMicrobial Keratitis: Predisposing Factors and Morbidity
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
All cases of microbial keratitis at the RVEEH in a 24-month period between May 2001 and April 2003 were identified through a retrospective medical records review. A total of 94 inpatient records and 822 emergency records with relevant diagnostic codes were identified and reviewed by 2 investigators (LK, KE). Inpatient files were reviewed with International Classification of Diseases 10 codes (H16.0 and H16.8), and emergency files were reviewed with relevant codes from the Victorian Emergency
Results
Contact lens wear (33.7%) and trauma (36.4%) were the most commonly identified causes of microbial keratitis in this review. There were 17 of 291 (6%) associated with ocular surface disease; 20 of 291 (7%), previous herpetic eye disease; and 4 of 291 (1%), systemic disease. A total of 18 cases were multifactorial (6.1%). There were no identifiable risk factors in 23 cases (7.9%). The cases in which diagnosis was uncertain were cases of less severe disease, and proportions of cases in which the
Discussion
Ocular trauma and CL wear have been identified here as the most common risk factors for microbial keratitis in this age range. The comparative morbidity of this condition in terms of visual loss and costs of treatment has been quantified for the first time.
This large case series comprises cases of presumed microbial keratitis based on clinical diagnosis. As with any clinical definition, there is the possibility that some noninfective cases have been included in our sample, making estimates of
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Cited by (0)
Manuscript no. 2005-270.
This research was funded in part by the Australian Government via the Cooperative Research Centres Program, Canberra, Australia, and via a National Health and Medical Research Council (Canberra, Australia) Post-graduate Research Scholarship.
The authors have no conflicting relationships or commercial connection to the article’s topic.