Etiological and Clinical Profile of Infectious Keratitis in a Semi-rural Population of North India: A Hospital-based Study
Priyanka Yadav, Kritika, Brij Kishor Gupta, Kanav GuptaAbstract
Purpose:
To analyze the current etiological pattern and clinical profile of infectious keratitis in a semi-rural population of North India.
Materials and Methods:
A prospective, hospital-based study including 70 patients with infectious keratitis was conducted from January to May 2025. Demographic variables, risk factors, clinical features, and etiological distribution were recorded. Microbiological evaluation was performed in clinically indicated cases, primarily for suspected fungal keratitis.
Results:
Fungal keratitis was the most common etiology (55.7%), followed by viral keratitis (27.1%) and bacterial keratitis (17.1%). Among clinically diagnosed fungal keratitis cases, potassium hydroxide wet mount was positive for fungal hyphae in a majority of cases. Ocular trauma with vegetative matter (42.9%) was the leading predisposing factor, predominantly associated with fungal keratitis, while prior topical steroid use (17.1%) was more frequent in viral keratitis. Most ulcers were large (>3 mm) and mid-stromal, with central involvement in 47.1% of cases. More than half of the patients presented with visual acuity <6/60.
Conclusion:
This study describes the etiological and clinical profile of infectious keratitis in a semi-rural North Indian population. Fungal keratitis was the predominant diagnosis, while clinically diagnosed viral keratitis was more frequent than clinically diagnosed bacterial keratitis. Larger multicentric studies with standardized microbiological evaluation are required.