Increased incidence of corneal perforation after topical fluoroquinolone treatment for microbial keratitis

Abstract

PURPOSE: To compare the incidence of corneal perforation in eyes treated with topical fluoroquinolone or fortified antibiotics for microbial keratitis. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review of patients hospitalized for bacterial keratitis from January 1991 through November 1999. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-seven cases of bacterial keratitis were identified. The incidence of corneal perforations was significantly higher in fluoroquinolone-treated eyes (18 out of 142, 12.7%) compared with eyes treated with fortified antibiotics (1 out of 135, 0.7%) (chi-square = 13.6, degrees of freedom (df) = 2, P < .001). Within the fluoroquinolone-treated group, all corneal perforations occurred i..