High-Dose Steroid Treatment of Bacterial Keratitis

Purpose: To describe the usage patterns of steroids in bacterial keratitis and to analyze the effect of steroids on patients' visual outcomes. Methods: This was a single-center retrospective review of patients with culture-positive bacterial keratitis treated between 1999 and 2015 at Princess Alexandra Hospital (Brisbane, Australia). Patients with culture-positive bacterial keratitis were identified through the Queensland Pathology Database, and clinical information was gathered through a subsequent medical record review. High-dose steroid treatment was classified as 6 or more drops of a steroid a day started within 7 days of corneal scraping. The outcome of a patient's episode of keratitis was classified as good if their final visual acuity was 6/12 or better; poor if it was 6/60 or worse or required a corneal transplant, otherwise it was classified as average. Microbiological and clinical variables' association with outcomes was evaluated in univariate analyses. Variables significant at P
Source: Cornea - Category: Opthalmology Tags: Clinical Science Source Type: research