Study design, data and specimens collection

A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted from September-December 2015 in Quiha Ophthalmic Hospital, Quiha, Tigray, Ethiopia. A total of 270 patients who presented with suspected ocular infection were consecutively included in the study. Sociodemographic, clinical and risk-factor related data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Study subjects were examined using a slit-lamp biomicroscope to screen for the presence of ocular infection. Ocular specimens were collected from periorbital cellulitis (N = 8), dacryocystitis (N = 13), blepharitis (N = 26), blepharoconjunctivitis (N = 16), conjunctivitis (N = 123), keratitis (N = 57) and endophthalmitis (N = 27) diagnoses. An ophthalmic surgeon collected specimens from all patients except those patients who had endophthalmitis who had their specimemens collected by an ophthalmologist [37–39].