title: Cost evaluation of corneal ulcer treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Corneal ulcer is a common disease. To find the costs of corneal ulcer treatment would help plan the treatment strategy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the cost of treatment for corneal ulcers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Age, gender type of payment, causative organism, hospitalization days, and cost of treatment of hospitalized patients with clinically diagnosed corneal ulcer presenting between January 2011 andApril 2012 was collected
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-three patients were analyzed The median cost (interquartile range) was 20,699.0 (11,379.0-56,981.0) Thai Baht. The median cost (interquartile range) for the fungal group, bacterial group, and unknown organisms was 70,040.0 (34,697.0-112,118), 17,881.5 (10,555.3-31,100.8), and 15,015.3 (9,542.3-46,866.6) Thai Baht respectively. Costoftreatment for fungal group was statistically significantly higher than for the unknown organisms and bacterial groups (p< O. 05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expense of corneal ulcer treatment is high and fungal infection treatment tends to be the most expensive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand kosolkampitak@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Kosol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kampitak
authors.forename: Sureeporn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patrasuwan
authors.forename: Kittipong
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kongsomboon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003320:Corneal Ulcer / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult