Epidemiology and clinical analysis of bacterial corneal ulcer in 98 cases

Objective To investigate and analyze the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of bacterial corneal ulcer.Methods 98 cases of bacterial corneal ulcer which were hospitalized for treatment and definitely diagnosed in recent 3 years were reviewed retrospectively.Results Corneal location of the ulcers was distributed as central in 74(75.5%) patients and peripheral in 24(24.5%) patients.The diameter of the corneal ulceration was of 1-3mm in 45 cases(46.0%).Ulcer depth in 46(47.0%) patients was more than 2/3 of corneal thickness.Anterior chamber inflammation was found in 38 cases(38.8%).Positive result was found in 15 cases by bacterial culture,the major pathogens were staphylococcus epidermidis(4 cases,4.1%) and streptococcus(3 cases,3.1%).Majority of patients had good visual outcome with visual acuity better than the level at admission and the effective rate of treatment was 80.6%.Visual acuity in 50 cases was under 0.05 and the blind ratio was 51.0%.ConclusionBacterial corneal ulcer can cause serious effect.Rapid microbiological examination and effective treatment represent decisive steps for good visual outcome.