Clinical features of infectious keratitis at a tertiary referral center in a rural area of Korea

Purpose: To evaluate clinical features of infectious keratitis at a tertiary referral center in a rural area of Korea.

Results: This was a retrospective study. Medical records of 70 patients who were diagnosed with infectious keratitis and underwent corneal culture were reviewed. Data including demographics, predisposing factors, and microbiological profiles were collected and analyzed.

Results: Age distribution showed one peak at sixth and seventh decade, and 48 patients (68.6%) were ≥50 years old. The male to female ratio was 43 (61.4%):27 (38.6%). Ocular surface disease was the most frequently found (48 cases, 68.6%). Gram-positive bacteria were most common (ten patients, 66.7%), followed by Gram-negative bacteria (three patients, 20%) and fungi (two patients, 13.3%). In this study, 34.3% of patients were treated by at least one topical antimicrobial before culture. Patients who received topical therapy before culture showed positive culture rate of 16.7%, and patients who underwent corneal culture without topical antibiotics showed positive culture rate of 23.9%. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in positive culture rate (P=0.554).

Conclusion: The proportions of the elderly and male patients were higher than the young and female patients, respectively. Gram-positive bacteria were the most common pathogens, and ocular surface disease was the most common predisposing factor.