Prevalence and risk factors of corneal ulcers among patients in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Corneal ulcer constitutes a major cause of loss of vision all over the world. There are many factors which contribute to corneal ulcer. Hence the epidemiology is complicated. Many infectious agents are also involved as causative agents. They cause corneal scarring which lead to loss of vision. The prevalence is different for different countries. Trauma or injury to eye is the most common risk factor. And this factor is mostly under-reported. Many people use traditional eye medicines, and this is also a major risk for corneal ulcers especially in developing countries. Prevention is most important as cure rates are discouraging. Objective: To study the prevalence and risk factors of corneal ulcers among patients at a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A Hospital based cross sectional study was carried out among a total of 42 cases at Department of Ophthalmology, Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli from November 2010 to May 2012. Institutional Ethics Committee permission was sought before the start of the study. Informed consent was taken from all patients. Data was entered in the pre designed pre tested questionnaire. Data analysis was done using proportions. Results: Maximum cases were found in the age group of 41-50 years. The males were double than females. The male to female ratio was 2:1. Maximum incidence of corneal ulcer was observed among farmers followed by manual labourer and housewives. In the present study, left eye was found to be more commonly affected than right eye. Incidence of corneal ulcer was more among rural dwellers as compared to urban dwellers. The most common risk factor for corneal ulcer was trauma followed by chronic dacryocystitis. Pain and redness was present in all cases. Conclusion: Trauma was found to be the most common and important risk factor of corneal ulcer. Certain occupations like farmers who are frequently exposed to trauma had higher incidence of corneal ulcer. Age groups who are more active and predisposed to trauma had also higher incidence of corneal ulcer.