Table 1

Frequency of primary treatment failure, delayed healing, and indolent ulceration in various subgroups of patients presenting with suspected microbial keratitis

Characterisitic at diagnosis	Number	% Primary treatment failure (n = 14)	% Slow healing ulcers (n = 17)	% Indolent ulcers (n = 15)
Age (years)
<60	76	1.3	7.9	5.3
60+	42	31.0	26.2	26.2
Sex
Males	69	10.1	11.6	13.0
Females	49	14.3	18.4	12.2
Ulcer size (mm²)
Culture positive
<5 mm²	23	8.7	17.8	8.7
5+ mm²	26	42.3	34.6	30.8
Culture negative
<5 mm²	60	0.0	3.3	6.7
5+ mm²	9	11.1	22.2	11.1
Hypopyon
Present	15	33.3	26.7	26.7
Absent	103	8.7	12.6	10.7
Symptom to treatment interval (days)
<4	68	7.4	10.3	10.3
4+	44	13.6	20.5	13.6
Previous disease
Corneal present	38	28.9	21.1	26.3
absent	80	3.8	11.3	6.3
Cataract present	11	27.3	36.4	36.4
absent	107	10.3	12.1	10.3
Glaucoma present	11	18.2	27.3	36.4
absent	107	11.2	13.1	10.3
Other present	20	15.0	30.0	25.0
absent	98	11.2	11.2	10.2
Any	62	21.0	25.8	22.6
None	56	1.8	1.8	1.8
Concurrent factors
Contact lens present	46	2.2	6.5	2.2
absent	72	18.1	19.4	19.4
Ocular surface disease present	7	42.9	14.3	57.1
absent	111	9.9	14.4	9.9
Any	83	12.0	15.7	13.3
None	35	11.4	11.4	11.4
Current treatment
Antibiotics present	26	19.2	11.5	15.4
absent	92	9.8	15.2	12.0
Steroids present	19	31.6	36.8	36.8
absent	99	8.1	10.1	8.1
Culture result
Positive	49	26.5	26.5	20.4
Negative	69	1.4	5.8	7.2

↵Ulcer size calculated as product of maximum horizontal and vertical lengths in mm.
↵These categories are not exclusive as some patients had more than one disorder or treatment.