Positive Microbiological Stains of Corneal Scrapings among Patients with Keratitis in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Keratitis, an ocular emergency, requires rapid and accurate treatment to prevent vision impairment. Wet mount direct microscopy examination of corneal scraping smear using gram and 10% potassium hydroxide stain helps in early diagnosis and treatment. The main objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of positive microbiological stains of corneal scrapings among patients with keratitis in a tertiary care centre. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmic Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from January, 2018 to December, 2019. Data collection was done after taking ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee of the hospital (Reference number: BEH-IRC-35/A). All corneal smear samples received in this department were included in this study. Case records with incomplete data were excluded. Whole sampling was done. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22.0. Frequency and percentage was calculated for binary data. RESULTS: Among 4631 corneal scrapings, microbiological stains were positive in 3538 (76.40%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of positive microbiological stains of corneal scrapings in our study was higher in comparison to other studies done in similar settings. This technique could be used where culture facilities are unavailable or unaffordable.