title: Bacterial keratitis in a tertiary eye centre in Iran: a retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the characteristics and laboratory findings of 182 patients with bacterial keratitis diagnosed at Farabi Eye Hospital in Tehran, Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study, data were collected on demographics, risk factors, location, size and depth of the ulcer, height of the hypopyon, uncorrected visual acuity, results of smear and culture tests, and antibiotic sensitivity of cultured bacteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 110 (60.4%) males and 72 (39.6%) females with an average age of 56.0 ± 2.3 years. Ocular trauma (17.6%) and positive history of corneal surgery (14.3%) were major risk factors. The mean age of contact lens users was 22.5 ± 7.7 years. Sixty patients (33%) used topical antibiotics, 21 (11.5%) patients utilized topical steroid, and 26 (14.3%) cases used both topical antibiotic and steroid at presentation. Culture results were, 81 (44.5%) cases were Gram-positive, 63 (34.6%) were Gram-negative, 10 (5.5%) were mixed bacteria and in 28 (15.4%) cases had detected growth. The isolated bacterial species from the corneal ulcers were less resistant to ceftazidime (6%) and amikacin (6%). The majority of patients were treated with medical therapy; however, 81 cases (44.5%) received at least one surgical procedure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among the patients with bacterial corneal ulcers, trauma was the most common risk factor. Over-the-counter antibiotic and steroid were commonly used in the majority of patients. The most common bacteria isolated were Gram-positives, and they were less resistant to ceftazidime and amikacin. Penetrating keratoplasty was the most common surgical procedure in patient who required surgery.
authors.affiliation: Farabi Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Firoozeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rahimi
authors.affiliation: Farabi Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Nasser
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Hashemian
authors.affiliation: Farabi Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khosravi
authors.affiliation: Farabi Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Golnaz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moradi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Poostchi Eye Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bamdad
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003320:Corneal Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D015818:Eye Infections, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007492:Iran; D015948:Keratoplasty, Penetrating; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Antibiotic Sensitivity; Bacterial Keratitis; Corneal Infection; Corneal Ulcer; Epidemiology; Risk Factor