Spectrum of bacterial keratitis in a major eye hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Bacterial keratitis is a major cause of ocular morbidity and an important cause of blindness from corneal scars in our region of the world. This review of the medical records of 100 consecutive patients with bacterial keratitis was carried out in order to determine the predisposing factors, and the causative organisms. All patients that had presented over the period of January 1986 to December 1987 to the emergency department of the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were surveyed; 68 were male and 32 female. Among the cases where only a single organism was isolated, Staphylococcus epidermidis predominated [28 cases and%], Streptococcus pneumoniae was found in 18, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 18 patients [18% each]. Nineteen patients had mixed infections. The most common predisposing factor was antecedent ocular trauma, predominantly surgical 56 patients had preceding surgery. In 38 of these, this had included corneal grafting. Fifteen% of the patients suffered from diabetes mellitus