title: Diagnosis of infectious diseases of the eye.
abstract: Specific therapy of ocular infections often requires etiological diagnosis that is a combined effect of observation of characteristic clinical features and microbiological investigations. Clinical impression is central to guiding the laboratory investigation, and the aim of laboratory investigation is to confirm or rule out the clinical diagnosis. However, clinical features may vary considerably, and no one clinical feature may be pathognomonic of a particular pathogen. In addition, there may be a racial, geographical, and climatic difference in the distribution and type of causative agents associated with infections. Ophthalmologists have at their disposal in vivo and in vitro methods of diagnosis of ocular infections. The expertise of the clinician and the microbiologist along with the facilities available, determine the success with accurate diagnosis. A wide range of conventional and molecular techniques are available that not only provide rapid diagnosis for known common infections but have the potential to bring to the fore unknown organisms that may be associated with ocular infections.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Services- LVPEI Network, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. savitri@lvpei.org
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D003470:Culture Media; D015818:Eye Infections, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D015821:Eye Infections, Fungal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D015822:Eye Infections, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D015828:Eye Infections, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media
references.citation: BMC Ophthalmol. 2008 Apr 29;8:7
references.pmid: 18445283
references.citation: J Postgrad Med. 2006 Jul-Sep;52(3):179-82
references.pmid: 16855317
references.citation: Ophthalmology. 2006 Apr;113(4):538-47
references.pmid: 16581415
references.citation: Cornea. 2002 Aug;21(6):555-9
references.pmid: 12131029
references.citation: Int Ophthalmol. 1993-1994;17(6):327-30
references.pmid: 8063474
references.citation: Br J Ophthalmol. 2010 Mar;94(3):384-5
references.pmid: 20215380
references.citation: Br J Ophthalmol. 2012 Jun;96(6):911-2
references.pmid: 22362914
references.citation: Ophthalmology. 2006 Sep;113(9):1645-50
references.pmid: 16828508
references.citation: Indian J Med Res. 2006 May;123(5):671-8
references.pmid: 16873910
references.citation: Ophthalmology. 2010 Feb;117(2):216-22
references.pmid: 19969369
references.citation: Br J Ophthalmol. 2010 Aug;94(8):982-7
references.pmid: 20538659
references.citation: Ophthalmology. 2001 Feb;108(2):326-30
references.pmid: 11158808
references.citation: Ophthalmology. 2001 Jan;108(1):121-5
references.pmid: 11150275
references.citation: Br J Ophthalmol. 2003 Apr;87(4):409-10
references.pmid: 12642300
references.citation: Cornea. 2002 Oct;21(7):643-7
references.pmid: 12352078
references.citation: Indian J Med Res. 2003 May;117:205-10
references.pmid: 14609048
references.citation: J Clin Virol. 1999 Oct;14(2):145-51
references.pmid: 10588457
references.citation: Ophthalmology. 2004 Feb;111(2):396-406
references.pmid: 15019397
references.citation: Retina. 1996;16(6):525-9
references.pmid: 9002137
references.citation: J Clin Microbiol. 2008 Oct;46(10):3477-8
references.pmid: 18701666
references.citation: Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 1993 Jan;16(1):61-6
references.pmid: 8381064
references.citation: Indian J Ophthalmol. 2010 Nov-Dec;58(6):535-7
references.pmid: 20952843
references.citation: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1995 Mar;36(3):614-21
references.pmid: 7534282
references.citation: Cornea. 2003 Oct;22(7 Suppl):S55-60
references.pmid: 14703708
references.citation: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006 Oct;47(10):4468-73
references.pmid: 17003441
references.citation: J Clin Virol. 1998 Jul 24;11(1):77-84
references.pmid: 9784146
references.citation: Cornea. 2007 Aug;26(7):870-3
references.pmid: 17667626
references.citation: Indian J Ophthalmol. 2007 Jul-Aug;55(4):261-5
references.pmid: 17595473
references.citation: Ophthalmology. 2011 Jan;118(1):29-35
references.pmid: 20801515
references.citation: Indian J Ophthalmol. 2010 Jul-Aug;58(4):281-6
references.pmid: 20534916
references.citation: Am J Ophthalmol. 2005 Dec;140(6):1027-1031
references.pmid: 16376646