Recent pattern of contact lens-related keratitis in Hong Kong

To describe the changing pattern of clinical features and microbiology of contact lens-associated microbial keratitis in Hong Kong.

This is a retrospective observational case series of patients diagnosed with contact lens-associated microbial keratitis between July 2004 and April 2005 and between July 2005 and April 2006. Patients who wore contact lenses solely for the correction of refractive error and who were seen at Queen Mary Hospital were included in the study. The clinical characteristics, microbiology, and visual outcomes were compared.

There were 14 cases between July 2004 and April 2005. Most cases had an axial lesion (eight) or paraxial lesions (four). Corneal scrapings were positive in seven (50%) patients, among whom six showed Pseudomonas aeruginosa and one showed Serratia marcescens as the pathogens. Contact lens storage cases yielded polymicrobial growth in two cases. For the more recent cohort, Fusarium species had been identified as the dominant pathogen, and most (60%) contact lens storage cases showed polymicrobial growth.

There has been an increased number of cases of contact lens-associated fungal keratitis recently. Fusarium species and polymicrobial growth are becoming more dominant.