When sight-threatening conditions strike, they can swiftly cause our patients great detriment. Among these threats, a relatively common occurrence is the corneal ulcer—of which there are several types. Clinicians can evaluate them based on clinical characteristics and patient history, but several of these infections have a similar appearance during various stages of ulceration and can’t be easily distinguished.

Dr. Dexter's Take
A corneal ulcer can present as a serious sight-threatening condition. In some cases, the severity of the ulcer can advance rather quickly depending on the type of ulcer and organism that is causing the infection. It is not always possible to identify the type of ulcer that your patient is presenting with based on history and examination alone, as the clinical findings can sometimes overlap. Corneal cultures are extremely helpful in these cases because they can identify the organism present and allow you to better tailor the treatment for your patient. This article does a great job at walking you through the steps to take in order to collect a corneal sample for culturing.

Read the full article from Review of Optometry