Contact lens use, ulcerative keratitis linked

People who wear contact lenses are at an increased risk for developing ulcerative keratitis, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa the predominant pathogen, according to a study.

Ephigenia K. Mela, MD, and colleagues with the University of Patras (Greece) Medical School retrospectively studied 23 patients with contact-lens-related corneal ulcers. During a 43-month period, a total of 86 cases of ulcerative keratitis were diagnosed. Most patients were female, from urban areas, and had been wearing soft contact lenses for 3 days to 20 years.

Forty-eight percent of the ulcers were mild, 30% were moderate and 21% were severe. Corneal scrapings for culture were obtained in 15 cases, of which 10 were positive. P. aeruginosa was the most frequent isolated pathogen. Final visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 61% of the cases.

The study is published in Eye & Contact Lens: Science and Clinical Practice.