Common causes for corneal ulcers in Paraguayans identified

Corneal ulcers in people in Paraguay are both bacterial and fungal in origin, with male gender, agricultural occupation, age between 30 and 59 years, history of trauma and self-medication the primary risk factors, according to a study.

Florentina Laspina and colleagues at the National University of Asuncion in Paraguay retrospectively reviewed the charts of 660 patients who had been diagnosed with infectious corneal ulcers due to bacteria or fungi between 1988 and 2001. Of these, 524 cases had positive cultures; 267 were due to bacteria, 136 to fungi and 121 to both.

Almost 66% of the patients were men, and about half had a history of trauma. Over-the-counter medications were commonly used, and most patients delayed seeing a physician for accurate diagnosis for more than 1 week.

The study is published in Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.