Corneal abscesses in silicone and soft contact lens wearers

Fourteen cases of corneal abscesses in wearers of contact lenses were seen in our department during the last 3 years. The hospitalization period varied from a few days to seven weeks. In one case it was necessary to perform penetrating keratoplasty in order to restore good vision. Cultures taken from the corneal abscesses were positive in six cases. Pseudomonas was found in five cases and Enterobacter in one case. During the three years of the survey, no hard contact lens wearers with corneal abscesses were hospitalized. Wearers of silicone contact lenses comprised 21.4% of the cases with corneal abscess. This is a high percentage considering the fact that these lenses are very rare among contact lens wearers in Israel.