Microbial keratitis has been reported among critically ill patients and the need for effective eye care in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been recognised for some time.¹ However, different eye care regimes are not always evidence based² and there is no clear consensus defining the best form of eye care. A recent survey in the United Kingdom found that 75% of ICUs used Geliperm routinely as eye care, with 25% using ocular lubricants³ Although Geliperm was originally designed as a wound dressing and there is no evidence to support its use in eye protection. Lacrilube, however, has been shown to be effective in reducing exposure keratopathy in sedated and paralysed patients.⁴ This prospective comparative study aims to assess the prevalence of corneal surface disease in ICU and the effectiveness of two different eye care regimes at preventing corneal surface disease.

Methods

Three main types of eye care are …