Clinical Features and Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Infectious Scleritis

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate risk factors, clinical features, pathogenic organisms, and outcomes in patients with infectious scleritis. METHODS: This study was a retrospective review of 20 patients with infectious scleritis who were admitted from January 2011 to December 2018 in a single tertiary hospital, with at least 3 months of follow-up. We analyzed age, risk factors, clinical manifestations, pathogenic organisms, treatment, and outcomes of infectious scleritis. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 69.2 ± 8.4 years and the mean duration of hospitalization was 11.3 ± 5.8 days. Furthermore, the mean duration of symptoms before presentation was 16.8 ± 13.9 days; patients were followed for a mean duration of 23.3 ± 25.4 months. All patients had prior pterygium surgery. Eighteen patients (90%) were culture-positive and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) was identified in 12 eyes. In the acute stages, adjuvant surgical intervention was performed for 18 patients (90%) for these patients, the mean duration of hospitalization before surgery was 4.1 ± 4.4 days. CONCLUSIONS: The most common risk factor and pathogenic organism for infectious scleritis were prior pterygium surgery and P. aeruginosa, respectively. Identification of specific causative organisms and corresponding antibiotic treatment with adjuvant surgical intervention may improve visual prognosis in patients with infectious scleritis.