Study of clinical and microbiological profile of infective corneal ulcers at a tertiary care hospital in western Maharashtra

Abstract

Introduction: Infective corneal ulcer is an important cause of visual impairment in developing countries. The present study was conducted to know demographic, clinical, and microbiological patterns of infective corneal ulcers in a tertiary hospital in western Maharashtra. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analytical study involving 68 eyes of 68 cases of infective corneal ulcer visited in the last two years. From medical records of all cases, details of history, clinical findings, and investigations were noted and data were analyzed. Results: Male to female ratio of study cases was 1.61:1 with age groups ranging between 18 to 90 years (mean 50.81 years). The main occupations of study cases were farming (28 i.e. 41.17%) and construction work (12 i.e.17.64%). Thirty-two (47.05%) cases had to present BCVA of <6/60. Corneal ulcers of size < 5 mm were seen in 37 (54.41%) cases and 19 cases (27.84%) had hypopyon. Central and paracentral ulcers were seen in 57 cases (83.82%). On Gram stain and 10% KOH mount, fungal etiology (26.92%) was seen more frequently than bacterial etiology (20.51%) and 4(5.88%) showed mixed organisms. In 37(54.41%) cases where no organisms were detected, 6 cases had clinical features of viral corneal ulcer. Conclusion: Infective corneal ulcers mainly affected working males involved in farming. Gram stain and KOH mount analysis showed fungal etiology more frequently than bacterial. Detailed history, clinical examination, and lab investigations of scrapings in cases of infective corneal ulcers are essential to know the clinical and microbiological pattern.