Epidemiological and Microbial Profile of Corneal Ulcer: An Observational Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: Corneal ulcer is a vision-threatening ocular emergency requiring early diagnosis and prompt microbiological evaluation for appropriate treatment. This study assessed the epidemiological and microbial profile of corneal ulcer in a tertiary care hospital.

Materials and Methods: This observational study was conducted over one year in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Microbiology, CIMS, Bilaspur. Forty patients aged 18–90 years with clinically diagnosed corneal ulcer were included. Clinical examination was followed by corneal scraping for Gram staining, KOH wet mount, bacterial and fungal culture, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 47.9 ± 11.97 years. Most patients were females (60%), belonged to rural areas (90%), and were farmers (52.5%). Ocular trauma was the commonest predisposing factor (95%), predominantly due to vegetative matter (52.5%). Fungal keratitis (62.5%) was more common than bacterial keratitis (22.5%). Aspergillus species (30.0%) and Fusarium species (27.5%) were the predominant fungal isolates, whereas Staphylococcus aureus (15.0%) was the commonest bacterial isolate. Natamycin (92.3%) and vancomycin (100%) showed the highest antimicrobial sensitivity among fungal and bacterial isolates, respectively.

Conclusion: Corneal ulcer predominantly affected rural agricultural populations and was strongly associated with vegetative ocular trauma. Fungal keratitis was the predominant etiology, highlighting the importance of early microbiological diagnosis and targeted antimicrobial therapy to prevent vision loss.