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Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Factors that may increase your risk of keratitis include:

  • Contact lenses. Wearing contact lenses increases your risk of infectious and noninfectious keratitis. The risk typically stems from not disinfecting lenses properly, wearing contact lenses while swimming, wearing them longer than recommended, or using water or homemade solutions to store and clean lenses. Keratitis is more common in people who use extended-wear contacts, or wear contacts continuously, than in those who use daily wear contacts and take them out at night.
  • Reduced immunity. If your immune system is compromised due to disease or medications, you're at higher risk of developing keratitis.
  • Warm climate. If you live in a warm, humid climate, your risk of keratitis is increased, particularly if plant material gets into your eyes. Plant material can scratch the corneal epithelium and chemicals from the plant can cause an inflammation, which may then lead to an infection.
  • Corticosteroids. Use of corticosteroid eyedrops to treat an eye disorder can increase your risk of developing keratitis or worsen existing keratitis.
  • Eye injury. If one of your corneas has been damaged from an injury in the past, you may be more vulnerable to developing keratitis.
Complications Causes
References
  1. Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..X0001-X--TOP&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed Aug. 1, 2012.
  2. What is bacterial keratitis? American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/diseases/bacterial-keratitis.cfm. Accessed Aug. 3, 2012.
  3. Yanoff M, ed., et al. Ophthalmology. 3rd ed. Edinburgh, U.K.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/212799885-2/0/1869/0.html. Accessed Aug. 1, 2012.
  4. Contact lens-related infections. American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/diseases/contact-lens-related-infections.cfm. Accessed Aug. 1, 2012.
  5. Jacobs DS. Evaluation of the red eye. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Aug. 1, 2012.
  6. What is fungal keratitis? American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/diseases/fungal-keratitis.cfm. Accessed Aug. 1, 2012.
  7. What is herpes keratitis? American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/diseases/herpes-keratitis.cfm. Accessed Aug. 1, 2012.
  8. Sugar A. Herpes simplex keratitis. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Aug. 1, 2012.
  9. Facts about the cornea and corneal disease. National Eye Institute. http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/cornealdisease/. Accessed Aug. 1, 2012.
  10. Nicoll D, et al. Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests. 5th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/pocketDiagnostic.aspx?type=5. Accessed Aug. 3, 2012.
  11. Free-living amebas. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/infectious_diseases/extraintestinal_protozoa/free-living_amebas.html?qt=free%20ameba&alt=sh. Accessed Aug. 3, 2012.
  12. Contact lens risks. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/HomeHealthandConsumer/ConsumerProducts/ContactLenses/ucm062589.htm. Accessed Aug. 1, 2012.
  13. Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=9096708. Accessed Aug. 1, 2012.
  14. Comprehensive eye and vision examination. American Optometric Association. http://www.aoa.org/eye-exams.xml. Accessed Aug. 3, 2012.
  15. Robertson DM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 17, 2012.
DS01190 Sept. 20, 2012

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