Corneal Ulcer and Ulcerative Keratitis in Emergency Medicine Workup

Updated: Aug 05, 2019
  • Author: Jesse Borke, MD, FACEP, FAAEM; Chief Editor: Barry E Brenner, MD, PhD, FACEP  more...
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Workup

Laboratory Studies

Culture

Most community-acquired cases of bacterial keratitis resolve with empiric therapy and are managed without cultures. However, cultures are indicated in cases that involve a corneal infiltrate that is central and large and extends to the middle to deep stroma, cases that are unresponsive to antibiotic therapy, and cases that have atypical clinical features suggestive of fungal, amoebic, or mycobacterial keratitis. [8] Consult with an ophthalmologist.