Evidence Hub

Non-antibiotic management of bacterial keratitis

Akbar M, Phung C, Monical A, Armstrong ML, Alverdy JC, Farooq AV

Saudi journal of ophthalmology : official journal of the Saudi Ophthalmological Society, 2026

Abstract

Bacterial keratitis (BK) is a common subtype of infectious keratitis, the most common cause of corneal blindness globally. While antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment for BK, numerous nonantibiotic treatments and adjuncts have emerged in recent years. These include, but are not limited to, collagen cross-linking, phototherapy, immunomodulators, and various forms of transplantation. The purpose of this work is to provide a comprehensive summary of the current literature, highlight promising areas of progress, and identify gaps and areas for further work in the management of BK. With rising resistance to antibiotics, this review echoes and emphasizes the call to study and establish alternative and adjunctive strategies for BK treatment.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free