• Corneal crosslinking may accelerate epithelialization and reduce length and severity of necessary treatment in moderate bacterial keratitis, according to a study in the April 2015 Cornea.¹

Researchers separated 32 bacterial keratitis patients into two groups. The control group was treated using standard medical therapy (i.e., lubrication, fortified cefazolin (50mg/mL) every hour, and systemic doxycycline every 12 hours following loading doses of fortified cefazolin and gentamicin) and the case group was treated with CXL and standard medical therapy. No statistically significant difference was noted between the two groups one day following treatment, but researchers noted the epithelial defects and the area of infiltrates were both smaller in the CXL group compared to the control group by day seven following the beginning of treatment.

1. Bamdad S, Makelhosseini H, Khosravi A. Ultraviolet A/Riboflavin Collagen Crosslinking for Treatment of Moderate Bacterial Corneal Ulcers. Cornea. 2015 Apr;34(4):402-6.

• Tobramycin can help prevent secondary corneal infections in patients wearing therapeutic soft contact lenses, says new research published in the March 2015 Eye & Contact Lens.¹ 

Researchers cultured 40 therapeutic soft lenses of patients being treated for recurrent corneal erosion following a two-week wearing period. During wear time, patients were treated four times per day with topical tobramycin 3% and topical sodium hyaluronate 0.1%. Upon culturing, however, nine of the 40 lenses yielded positive cultures, with Staphylococcus epidermidis identified as the predominant organism. Methicillin-sensitive coagulase-negative staphylococci, methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci, Enterobacter gergoviae and Citrobacter freundii were also isolated. No clinical signs of infectious keratitis were found.

1. Park YM, Kwon HJ, Lee JS. Microbiological Study of Therapeutic Soft Contact Lenses Used in the Treatment of Recurrent Corneal Erosion Syndrome. Eye Contact Lens. 2015 Mar;41(2):84-6.