J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  1999 Oct;40(10):2701-2707.

Superficial Keratopathy of Patients in Intensive Care Unit

• Moon SW
• Jin KH
• Kim DH

Abstract

Patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit could have impaired ocular defense mechanism and faced increased incidence of corneal abnormalities. To determine the prevalence of keratopathy in intensive care unit patients and to identify factors associated with an increased incidence of corneal abnormalities,we conducted bedside examinations including fluorescein dye application and schirmer 's test and bacterial culture on 128 randomly selected patients. Associated factors was analyzed with Glasgow Coma Scale, period in the intensive care unit, intubation status, underlining disease, and current eye care. As a result, superficial keratopathy was present in 41 (32%) of the 128 patients. Patients who are intubated, who have low score of the Glasgow Coma Scale, and who have been hospitalized in the intensive care unit for extended periods are seemed to be at high risk of superficial keratopathy and require prophylactic eye care.

Keyword

Bacterial keratitis; Intensive care unit; Predisposing condition; Superficial keratopathy

MeSH Terms

Fluorescein
Glasgow Coma Scale
Humans
Incidence
Intensive Care Units*
Critical Care*
Intubation
Prevalence
Fluorescein