Ulcerative keratitis associated with contact lens wear

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Ulcerative keratitis is a serious eye infection.
• Contact lens wear is a known risk factor for microbial keratitis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the microbial causes of ulcerative keratitis.
• To determine if contact lens wear influences the types of organisms causing keratitis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 573 ulcerative keratitis cases cultured between January 1977 and September 1982.
• Comparison of microbial isolates from contact lens-associated versus non-contact lens-associated keratitis.

Main Results:

• 21% of ulcerative keratitis cases were associated with contact lens wear.
• Gram-negative bacteria were the predominant cause in contact lens-associated keratitis (78%), versus 45% in non-contact lens-associated cases.
• Pseudomonas was the most frequent isolate in contact lens-associated keratitis, accounting for nearly two-thirds of culture-positive cases.

Conclusions:

• Contact lens use is associated with a distinct microbial profile in ulcerative keratitis.
• Gram-negative bacteria, especially Pseudomonas, are significantly more prevalent in contact lens-related keratitis.