Medical judgment of microbial keratitis agent is possible based on clinical and epidemiological data, but it is more difficult for fungal infection. Thus, such data cannot be the only basis for the diagnosis of suspected microbial keratitis, but oriented clinical suspicion based on these data may be beneficial for guiding antimicrobial treatment and earlier therapy.

Fungal keratitis presented as a disease with severe complications, predominantly among young males, and was mostly caused by filamentous fungi. The present information permits the establishment of preventive strategies. Reducing the time between onset and treatment and using more accessible specific medication would reverse the negative prognosis.

The isolated use of tacrolimus and the combined use of tacrolimus and olopatadine seems to have the same efficacy, although controlled studies with larger samples are required to confirm this hypothesis.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the frequency and clinical characteristics of ocular complications and their risk factors, as well as autologous serum tears (AST) for the treatment of dry eye in these patients. Data from the files of 124 patients who had undergone allogeneic haematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (HPCT) were evaluated. In addition, 33 HPCT patients were examined and their data were compared with controls. Analysis of tears and AST was performed. Dry eye manifestation occurred in 32% of patients and was positively correlated with age over 27 years (P ¼ 0.05), peripheral blood progenitor cell transplant (P ¼ 0.002), chronic graft-versus-host disease (P ¼ 0.0027), and chronic or acute myeloid leukaemia (P ¼ 0.001). Dry mouth and Schirmer test o5 mm were predictive factors for dry eye in HPCT patients (P ¼ 0.002 and odds ratio 3.9 and P ¼ 0.007, odds ratio ¼ 5.9, respectively). Microbiological analysis revealed that six of 11 AST samples were contaminated after 30 days of use. The present study supports the role of potential risk factors for ocular complications and key elements to detect alterations in the tear film from HPCT patients. In addition, AST contamination must be considered after longer periods of use.

Both LG and RB showed similar staining patterns. RB was found to provide greater patient discomfort. There was no correlation between disease severity (addressed by the ocular surface disease index questionnaire) and staining patterns (measured by the van Bijsterveld scale).

The use of topical dexamethasone 0.1%/povidone-iodine 0.4% eye drops four times daily appears to reduce the duration of conjunctivitis, although it causes more stinging than artificial tears.

To evaluate dry eye prevalence and investigate associated risk factors in Brazil by applying a short questionnaire of symptoms and risk factors. A cross-sectional study of 3,107 participants from all the five different geopolitical regions of Brazil. Overall prevalence of dry eye in this study population was 12.8%. Dry eye previous diagnosis was reported by 10.2% and presence of severe symptoms in 4.9%. Logistic regression analysis confirmed some significantly risk factors, such as female sex (Odds Ratio (OR) 1.74; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.12–1.93), age ≥60 year-old (OR 2.00; 95%CI: 1.44–2.77), history of ocular surgery (OR 1.84; 95%CI: 1.30–2.60), contact lens wear (OR 1.93; 95%CI: 1.36–2.73), cancer treatment (OR 3.03; 95%CI: 1.36–6.59), computer use >6 hours per day (OR 1.77; 95%CI: 1.36–2.31), antidepressants (OR 1.61; 95%CI: 1.12–2.31) and anti-allergy (OR 2.11; 95%CI: 1.54–2.89) medications. Nevertheless, when stratified by regions, each one had its own significant factors and inherent characteristics. This is the first study about prevalence and risk factors of dry eye in a large population sample from all regions of Brazil. Dry eye is a common condition in the Brazilian population and prevalence rates varies substantially in the different geographic regions of the country, possibly reflecting climate and socioeconomic discrepancies.

This study was composed of a young population, and the main causes of penetrating keratoplasty were keratoconus and therapeutic keratoplasty.