al-Rajhi A A, Wagoner M D, Badr I A, al-Saif A, Mahmood M
Anterior Segment Division/External Disease Division, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
J Refract Surg. 1996 Jan-Feb;12(1):123-7. doi: 10.3928/1081-597X-19960101-22.
Phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) is effective in the treatment of many superficial corneal disorders. The incidence of bacterial keratitis following PTK has not been assessed in a large, prospective clinical trial.
We report three cases of bacterial keratitis that occurred in a prospective study of 258 consecutive PTK procedures at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital.
Three (1.2%) of 258 eyes developed bacterial keratitis during a period of follow up ranging from 1 to 24 months. All three cases were in 183 eyes (1.6%) with a diagnosis of climatic droplet keratopathy, while no cases were observed in 75 eyes with other anterior corneal disorders. Gram-positive species (Streptococcus pneumonia in two, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus in one) were the predominant species isolated from all three cases. Two of the cases were polybacterial. The final visual outcomes ranged from 20/125 to 20/400.
The risk of bacterial keratitis following treatment of superficial corneal disorders with PTK is low but its occurrence may adversely affect the final visual outcome.
