Approximately 45 million individuals in the United States wear contact lenses to correct
refractive error, maintain ocular health, or for cosmetic reasons (
1
). There has been an increasing trend in the number of contact lens users and microbial
corneal infections (keratitis). Contact lens wear represents 30% to 50% of all microbial
keratitis cases, costing the U.S. health care system $175 million annually (
2
,
3
). Corneal infections are an ophthalmic emergency as they can either cause ulceration
and perforation of the cornea or disseminate to the intraocular tissues, leading to
irreversible blindness. Severe infections such as these lead to vision loss among
1 in 500 contact lens users annually (
Collier SA, Gronostaj MP, MacGurn AK, et al. National Hospital Ambulatory Care Medical Survey of Outpatient Departments. 2010. Availible at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6345a3.htm?s_cid=mm6345a3_e. Accessed Jan 4, 2022.
2
). As such, appropriate and timely treatment of a corneal infection is extremely important.Keywords
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References
- National outbreak of Acanthamoeba keratitis associated with use of a contact lens solution, United States.Emerg Infect Dis. 2009; 15: 1236-1242https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1508.090225
- Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2815976/. Accessed Jan 08, 2022.
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Collier SA, Gronostaj MP, MacGurn AK, et al. National Hospital Ambulatory Care Medical Survey of Outpatient Departments. 2010. Availible at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6345a3.htm?s_cid=mm6345a3_e. Accessed Jan 4, 2022.
- Epidemiology of eye-related emergency department visits.JAMA Ophthalmol. 2016; 134: 312-319https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2015.5778
- Available at: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2482928. Accessed Jan 6, 2022.
- Trends in contact lens-related corneal ulcers at a tertiary referral center.Cornea. 2012; 31: 1097-1102https://doi.org/10.1097/ICO.0b013e318221cee0
- Available at: https://journals.lww.com/corneajrnl/Abstract/2012/10000/Trends_in_Contact_Lens_Related_Corneal_Ulcers_at_a.2.aspx. Accessed Dec 30, 2021.
- Epidemiology of bacterial corneal ulcers at tertiary centres in Vancouver, B.C.Can J Ophthalmol. 2018; 53: 330-336https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjo.2017.11.001
- Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0008418217305239. Accessed Jan 03, 2022.
Bartolomei A, Feldman B, Plumb R, et al. Bacterial keratitis. March 28, 2021. American Academy of Ophthalmology Available at: https://eyewiki.aao.org/Bacterial_Keratitis. Accessed Jan 04, 2022.
- Risk factors and causative organisms in microbial keratitis.Cornea. 2008; 27: 22-27https://doi.org/10.1097/ICO.0b013e318156caf2
- Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18245962/. Accessed Jan 4, 2022.
- Comparison of antibiotic-only and antibiotic-steroid combination treatment in corneal ulcer patients: double-blinded randomized clinical trial.Can J Ophthalmol. 2011; 46: 40-45https://doi.org/10.3129/i10-054
- Available at: https://www.canadianjournalofophthalmology.ca/article/S0008-4182(11)80008-6/pdf. Accessed Jan 04, 2022.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 14, 2022
Accepted:
May 9,
2022
Received in revised form:
March 22,
2022
Received:
January 13,
2022
Identification
Copyright
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