Introduction Infectious Keratitis is one of the most common ocular emergencies seen by ophthalmologists. Our aim is to identify the risk factors and clinical features of Acanthamoeba Keratitis (AK). Methods This retrospective chart review study was conducted at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and included all the microbial keratitis cases, male and female patients of all ages. The main outcome is the differentiation between various microbial keratitis types. Results We included 134 consecutive eyes of 126 persons. We had 24 cases of acanthamoeba keratitis, 22 bacterial keratitis, 24 fungal keratitis, 32 herpetic keratitis, and 32 bacterial co-infection. Contact lens wear was found in 33 eyes (24.6%). Among acanthamoeba keratitis patients, 73% were ≤ 39 years of age, and 73% were females (P <0.001). Also, in AK cases, epithelial defect was found in all cases (100%), endothelial plaques were found in 18 eyes (69.2%), 12 cases had radial keratoneuritis (46.2%), and ring infiltrate was found in 53.8% of AK cases. Conclusions We determined the factors that increase the risk of acanthamoeba infection and the clinical characteristics that help distinguish it from other types of microbial keratitis. Our findings suggest that younger females and patients who wear contact lenses are more likely to develop acanthamoeba keratitis. The occurrence of epitheliopathy, ring infiltrate, radial keratoneuritis, and endothelial plaques indicate the possibility of acanthamoeba infection. Promoting education on wearing contact lenses is essential to reduce the risk of acanthamoeba infection, as it is the most significant risk factor for this infection.
Dry eye disease (DED) is a common ocular problem that worsens patients' quality of life. This study aimed to assess DED prevalence and risk factors among medical students at the University of Tabuk.This is an analytical, cross-sectional, survey-based study. An online questionnaire was distributed by email to all medical students at the University of Tabuk. A self-administered McMonnies questionnaire was used in the assessment.We included 247 medical students who completed the questionnaire. Most participants were females (71.3%) and were <25 years old (85.8%). DED prevalence rate was 18.2% (95% CI=13.61% to 23.61%). Furthermore, DED was found to be significantly associated with the presence of irritation of eyes when waking up from sleep (OR=19.315), sleeping with partially opened eyes (OR=19.105), redness and irritation of the eyes when swimming in chlorinated fresh water (OR=7.863), and having prescription eyedrops or other dry eye treatments (OR=3.083).Our study at the University of Tabuk found that 18.2% of medical students had dry eye disease and identified the associated risk factors. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to prevent complications due to the high prevalence of DED.
