A study on demographic profile and predisposing factors of corneal ulcer in South India

To study the epidemiological characteristics and predisposing factors of infective corneal ulcer.: 222 cases fulfilling the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study. A standardised proforma was used to record demographic data like, age, sex, occupation, rural/urban background and relevant history like associated ocular and systemic disorders, history of corneal injury, previous treatment and duration of symptoms. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 22 software for chi square test.: 222 cases of infectious corneal ulcer was enrolled to the study out of which 138 (62.16%) were males and 84 (37.83%) were females. Out of the total, 132 (59.45%) were hailing from rural and 90 (40.54%) were hailing from urban background. Mean age of presentation was 52.009 years with standard deviation 12.26. 45.44% were farmers. 21.62% patients were diabetic. Ocular trauma was the most common predisposing factor, which was present in 24.32% (n=54). There was statistically significant association between trauma with vegetative matter and fungal corneal ulcer (p=0.004). These findings are in consensus with the epidemiological characterstics and predisposing factors in our geographic zone. Large number of fungal keratitis is associated with agriculture based economy, inadvertent use of steroid drops which implies lack of awareness.