Microbiological Profile of Corneal Ulcers from a Tertiary Care Hospital in R.R District, AP. -

Introduction: Corneal infection is one of the major causes of blindness worldwide. It accounts for 20-30% of all blindness in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the risk factors, mode of presentation of and etiology of corneal ulcers in patients reporting to tertiary care hospital. Methods: 100 patients with infective corneal ulcer presenting to ophthalmology department were included in this study. Corneal scrapings were taken for Gram stain and KOH mount and the specimens were inoculated onto blood agar, chocolate agar, Mac conkey agar & saboraud’s dextrose agar. Results: The most common age group involved was more than 40 years & the most common occupation among the affected individuals was agriculture. Staphylococcus species was the most common bacterial isolate (27%) followed by Pneumococcus (19%). Aspergillus was the most common fungal isolate (7%). Conclusion: corneal ulcer is common in rural population among agricultural workers. Most common predisposing factor is injury. Staphylococccus species was the most common isolate. Most of the cases regress with proper treatment thus; early recognition of causative organisms and prompt use of specific antibiotics and antifungal drugs will bring down the morbidity caused by this disease to a great extent.