Abstract
A prospective case study of patients presenting with clinically suspected keratitis was conducted at Al-Rehma Hospital, Sirte, Libya between January 2008 and November 2010. A total of 32.9% patients were identified with fungal keratitis, Aspergillus and Fusarium together accounted for 89.28% of cases. Males had higher predisposition as compared with females. Trauma (78.5%) was the major cause, vegetative injury alone constituting 60.7% of cases. Other most common identifiable risk factors were history of diabetes mellitus (17.8%), contact lens (21.4%) and corticosteroids (3.57%). Fungal keratitis still possesses a significant threat for increased ocular morbidity. The overall knowledge of fungal keratitis with its clinical determinants and risk factors, would aid in general awareness and prevention of complications associated with it. Key-wordsFungal keratitis, Cornea, Vegetative trauma, Contact lens, Diabetes mellitus, Corticosteroid -------------------------------------------------IJLSSR----------------------------------------------INTRODUCTION Eye is one of the important organs of sensory perception. Normally it is kept free from microbial infections by the natural protective mechanisms. Breach of these protective barriers can predispose to ocular diseases leading to significant ocular morbidity. Keratitis as such is an inflammation of the cornea, due to infectious, physical or chemical causes, which can result in vision loss. Contact lens use is the main predisposing factor for infectious keratitis [1]. Eye is also vulnerable to infections with fungal members due to trauma and excessive steroid use with or without antibiotic. There has been increasing trends of infectious corneal blindness owing to higher incidences of direct ocular trauma added with personal and social factors like increased alcohol consumption, higher age, low socioeconomic status and lack of health education. Access this article online Quick Response Code: Website:
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