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Contact Lens Related Keratitis (Corneal Ulcer)

Checked: 23-08-2020 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-08-2021

Overview

Contact lens wear increases the risk of infection of cornea. This is one of the most common conditions which presents to the BEH Emergency Department. A light sensitive and painful red eye in a contact lens wearer is typically an ulcer (an infection). These do not respond to chloramphenicol and require broader spectrum antibiotics (first-line: levofloxacin). On examination, you may see:

  • A red eye
  • A small round area of white-ish cornea, often very small (less than 1mm). The use of Fluorescein and a blue light can help pick up small FBs in primary care.

Please see diagnostic photographs

Who to refer

The patient should be reviewed in the BEH Emergency Department, the same day.

If the patient is out of hours, please discuss with the on-call ophthalmologist

Red Flags

Red eye and light sensitivity in a contact lens wearer should prompt suspicion of a corneal infection, this cannot be adequately diagnosed or excluded without a slit-lamp.

Referral

Refer to BEH Emergency Department

Resources

These guidelines have been written by Rhys Harrison, consultant ophthalmologist at Bristol Eye Hospital, with thanks to the patients who have kindly given consent to use their photos.

For full ophthalmology guidelines see: Primary Care Ophthalmology Guidance Document



Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.