Contact Lens-Associated Serratia marcescens Keratitis: A Case Report

Noor Alqudah1, Mais Tashtoush1

  • 1Department of Special Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.

Clinical Optometry
|August 12, 2025
PubMed

Serratia marcescens (S. marcescens) keratitis is a rare, sight-threatening infection primarily seen in contact lens users. A 22-year-old female developed sudden ocular symptoms two days after contact lens use. Examination revealed significant conjunctival injection, anterior chamber inflammation, and a corneal abscess with an epithelial defect. Despite initial moxifloxacin treatment, her condition worsened, requiring a switch to fortified vancomycin, ceftriaxone, and voriconazole. Cultures confirmed S. marcescens, allowing treatment to be streamlined to fortified ceftriaxone. The infection gradually resolved, with visual acuity returning to 20/20 and minimal residual scarring noted at one month.