title: Corneal ulcers in a tertiary hospital in Northern Nigeria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To highlight the pattern of corneal ulcers at the Guinness Ophthalmic Unit, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of case notes of patients who presented with corneal ulcer at the Guinness Ophthalmic Unit, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital between January 1995 and December 2005. Information obtained include demographic data, presenting complaints, predisposing factors, microbiological diagnosis, use of orthodox or traditional medications before presentation, duration before presentation and, presenting and final visual acuity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 228 cases presented within the 10 years study period. There were 129 (56.6%) males and 99 (43.4%) females. The age range was 15 months to 66 years. The commonest presenting complaints was poor vision 109 (47.8%) followed by lacrimation 97 (42.5%) and ocular pains 96 (42.1%). The common predisposing factors were trauma 117 (51.3%), use of traditional eye medications 39 (17.1%), self medication with topical steroids 13 (5.7%) and measles 9 (4.0%). The presenting visual acuity was <6/60 in 49.8% of the patients, <6/18-6/60 in 23.4%, and 6/6-6/18 in 25.5% of the patients. At discharge, 45.6% had a visual acuity of 6/6-6/18, 27.2% had borderline vision (<6/18-6/60), 18.0% had severe visual impairment (<6/60), while 6.6% had no light perception. The commonest organisms isolated were Staphylococcus aureus in 19.7%, fungal hyphae in 15.8% and Streptococcus pneumoniae in 4.8%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study most patients with corneal ulcer presented with poor vision and excessive lacrimation. Trauma was the commonest predisposing factor with bacterial organisms as the commonest isolate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika-Zaria, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Kehinde
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oladigbolu
authors.forename: Abdulkadir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rafindadi
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abah
authors.forename: Elsie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Samaila
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003320:Corneal Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000209:etiology*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult