Povidone-iodine in the treatment of infectious keratitis: A systematic review

Theme: Cornea, external disease & refractive surgery
What: Cornea, external disease & refractive surgery
Part of: Cornea II: Medical Cornea and Ocular Surface / Cornée II: Cornée médicale et surface oculaire
When: 5/31/2024, 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Where: Room | Salle 713 AB

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate if povidone-iodine is effective and safe in the treatment of infectious keratitis

Study Design: Systematic review

Methods: A review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library was conducted to find relevant published articles. Outcomes including best corrected visual acuity, infiltrate, ulcer size and colony forming units were collected. All clinical trials and observational studies published in English were included. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize findings. 

Results: Following database review, 343 articles were identified. Four studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies included 590 cases, with a culture positivity rate of 87.61%. Of the 590 cases, 288 received povidone-iodine treatment, and the rest underwent either standard of care treatment or placebo. When comparing povidone-iodine to standard antibiotic treatment, there was no significant difference in achieving presumed recovery. However, in two other studies, povidone-iodine did not significantly reduce CFU and did not improve visual outcomes when added to standard antibiotic treatment. None of the studies reported any safety concerns with topical povidone-iodine.

Conclusion: While some studies showed benefit for the use of povidone-iodine in infectious keratitis, others found no significant differences relative to standard of care antibiotic therapy or placebo. In conclusion, further randomized controlled studies with a larger sample size and longer follow up duration are recommended to evaluate the efficacy of povidone-iodine in the treatment of infectious keratitis.

Presenter(s)

Presenting Author: Waleed Alsarhani

Additional Author(s):

Amy Basilious, Western University

Marko Popovic, University of Toronto

Sara AlShaker, King Saud University

Clara Chan, University of Toronto

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