Risk factors and common organisms in bacterial keratitis in a tertiary center in Iran, a retrospective study.

Abstract

Background To report the range of isolated microorganisms and identify the underlying factors contributing to infectious keratitis in a 12-year period at a referral center in Tehran. Methods This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of patients diagnosed with infectious keratitis from 2009 to 2021. A total of 867 patients were admitted, with corneal scrapping performed for 414 of them. Fortified empiric antibiotic eye drops were initiated for all patients, while surgical intervention was carried out for a total of 376 patients during their hospitalization. Results Trauma being identified as the most prevalent risk factor (21.9%). The primary microorganisms responsible for corneal ulcers were Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Staphylococcus aeuros was the predominant microorganism cultured in patients under 50 years old, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common in patients over 50 years old. Tarsorrhaphy was carried out on 23.6% of the patients. Other surgical procedures were performed on a total of 44.6% of the patients, with tectonic graft and corneal patch graft being the most common surgeries. Conclusion This research highlights the significance of trauma as the primary predisposing factor and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as the predominant cultured microorganism in adult microbial corneal ulcer cases in Iran. Furthermore, we emphasize the necessity of surgical procedures in cases of bacterial keratitis.