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  • Journals

Prevalence of Filamentary Keratitis and Treatment Strategy

Abstracts


This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of corneal filamentary keratitis (FK) and alternative treatments in a cross-sectional study. From January 2012 to January 2015, patients with newly-diagnosed FK who attended regular follow-up for at least 3 months were enrolled. The exclusion criteria were any history of severe ocular trauma or intraocular surgery other than cataract extraction. All patients underwent slit-lamp examination and fluorescein staining to establish the diagnosis. Both systemic and ocular diseases were recorded. Patients were grouped according to sex, age, and onset season. Differences between groups were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics software version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), and a p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. We included 254 patients in this study. FK was more prevalent in the female and elderly group and in the fall and winter seasons. Tear deficiency had the highest correlation with FK. Sjogren's syndrome was the disease most associated with FK and was more prevalent in female patients. The remission rate was 52.3% with treatment with lubricants alone, 66.2% with a topical steroid agent combined with lubricants, and 40.2% with mucolytic agents combined with lubricants. Overall, 94 cases of FK required multiple combined treatments, and the success rate improved to 79.4%. FK is more prevalent in older patients and females. Ocular factors associated with FK are tear deficiency, followed by long-term use of anti-glaucoma agents. Sjogren's syndrome is the most common related systemic disease. Multiple approaches to treatment can improve the success rate.

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