Risk Factors for the Development of Inpatient Exposure Keratitis

Journal Title: Ophthalmology Research: An International Journal - Year 2014, Vol 2, Issue 6

Abstract

Purpose: To identify the risk factors for inpatient exposure keratitis and make possible the development of improved educational tools for providers. Methods: Retrospective chart review of inpatient ophthalmology consults at a major New York City teaching hospital, identifying patients with exposure keratitis. Patients included were seen by the ophthalmology consult service over a 3 year period and had exposure keratitis severe enough to require active treatment. Results: The four most common risk factors were sedation and mechanical ventilation (22/61, 36%), facial nerve palsy (10/61, 16%), nocturnal lagophthalmos (7/61,11%) and cicatricial or post-surgical lid changes (5/61,8%).Inpatient location was identifiable in 59 cases. 31% (18/59) of cases came from the physical therapy and rehabilitation floors and 24% (14/59) from the intensive care units. There were significantly more exposure keratitis cases identified during the 1st Half of the Academic Year, July through December, (45/61,74%) than the 2nd Half of the Academic year, January through June. (16/61, 26%) [P=0.03]. Conclusions: Sedation and mechanical ventilation, facial nerve palsy, nocturnal lagophthalmos, and cicatricial or post-surgical lid changes are the most common risk factors for inpatient exposure keratitis. Further study of the role of the primary team in preventing exposure keratitis is needed, and comprehensive efforts should be undertaken to reduce the incidence of this disease.

Authors and Affiliations

Brian Lehpamer, Teddy Lyu, Karen Fernandez, Henry A. Futterman, Penny Asbell

Keywords

Related Articles

Comparison of Ocular Alignment Using Corneal Reflex Measurements with Plusoptix S08 between Non–strabismic Amblyopes and Normal Controls

Aims: Purpose of this study is to compare corneal reflex value measurements performed by the Plusoptix S08 photo-screener between anisometropic non–strabismic amblyopic children and non-amblyopic children. Study Design:...

Utilization of Eye Care Services among Ghanaian Elderly Population: Evidence from a Peri-Urban Community

Introduction: Despite being more affected by visual impairment and blindness than any other population age group, the elderly are least likely to seek help when faced with eye problems. Eye care utilization among the age...

My Experience with Levator Resection Surgery in Congenital Ptosis

Aims: To assess the effectiveness of Levator resection surgery in patients with moderate to severe congenital ptosis with poor Levator function. Materials and Methods: Settings and Design: A prospective, observational, s...

Role of Optical Coherence Tomography in Macular Disorders

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging technology for performing high-resolution cross-sectional imaging. OCT is analogous to ultrasound imaging, except that it uses light instead of sound. OCT can provide cro...

Association of the CASQ1 Gene SNP rs3838216 with Graves’ Ophthalmopathy and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in Patients with Thyroid Autoimmunity

The pathogenesis of Graves’ ophthalmopathy is poorly understood, but there is evidence for the involvement of calsequestrin (CASQ1) as an autoantigen. Aim: To compare the frequency of the single nucleotide polymorphism...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP339010
  • DOI 10.9734/OR/2014/10600
  • Views 96
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Brian Lehpamer, Teddy Lyu, Karen Fernandez, Henry A. Futterman, Penny Asbell (2014). Risk Factors for the Development of Inpatient Exposure Keratitis. Ophthalmology Research: An International Journal, 2(6), 344-351. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-339010