Abstract
Purpose:
Corneal ulcer is a common ocular problem often complicated by delayed treatment from late diagnosis. We looked for presence of conjunctival chemosis in 44 consecutive cases of confirmed infective corneal ulcers.
Methods:
Retrospective examination of early ocular photographs of 44 consecutive cases of infective corneal ulcers.
Results:
Conjunctival chemosis was observed in 13 out of 44 cases. 12 of these were culture positive for pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 1 for colliform bacilli. Statistical analysis with Fishers Exact test was significant p>0.000001, Odds Ratio 112 (95% CI: 10.6 - 1190).
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest a strong association between conjunctival chemosis in pseudomonas aeruginosa corneal ulcers. This ocular feature could potentially help predict the presence of of pseudomonas aeruginosa in new corneal ulcers. This would enable individuals to receive the treatment of choice at an earlier stage , before microbiological confirmation.