Objective:

Describe the predisposing factors for therapeutic keratoplasty in patients with severe corneal ulcer.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted of a sample of 64 patients admitted to the Cornea Service of Ramón Pando Ferrer Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology from January 2011 to December 2014.

Results:

The sample was characterized according to the following sociodemographic variables: age (mean of 51.3 ± 2.9); sex (67.2 % were male), and risk age groups (83.3 % were farmers and 74.6 % were urban). The most common traumas were caused by foreign bodies (26.6 %), contact lenses (9.4 %) and chemical burns (6.3 %). 82.8 % of the patients received treatment during 22.5 ± 4.6 days before admission and 6.9 days before keratoplasty. Microbiological results revealed 88.2 % positivity. Filamentous fungi and bacteria were the most common isolates.

Conclusions:

Male sex, farming, outpatient treatment for 18 to 27 days before keratoplasty and filamentous fungi as etiological agents, are considered to be risk factors for therapeutic keratoplasty in corneal ulcers.

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