Bacterial keratitis following phototherapeutic keratectomy.

BACKGROUND

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.

METHODS

We report three cases of bacterial keratitis that occurred in a prospective study of 258 consecutive PTK procedures at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital.

RESULTS

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.

CONCLUSIONS

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.