Ulcerative Keratitis Associated With Contact Lens Wear

From October 1982 through June 1986, 658 patients developed ulcerative keratitis. In 196 of these patients it was contact lens related. Fifty-nine patients wore extended-wear contact lenses for cosmetic purposes. On culture, Pseudomonas species was the organism most frequently isolated from the ulcers associated with contact lens wear. No cases of fungal keratitis were found in the contact lens group as compared to 40 cases (17%) in the non-contact lens group. Compared to results of a similar study covering January 1977 through September 1982, current results showed a larger number of patients using extended-wear lenses for cosmetic reasons (59 vs one) and overall younger age.