Patients hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) may present risk for corneal injury due to sedation or coma. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of corneal injuries; to identify the risk factors and to propose a risk prediction model for the development of corneal injury, in adult patients, in an intensive care unit of a public hospital. This is a one year, prospective cohort study with 254 patients. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, univariate and logistic regression. Of the 254 patients, 59.4% had corneal injuries and the mean time to onset was 8.9 days. The independent variables that predispose to risk for punctate type corneal injury were: duration of hospitalization, other ventilatory support device, presence of edema and blinking less than five times a minute. The Glasgow Coma Scale and exposure of the ocular globe were the variables related to corneal ulcer type corneal injury. The injury frequencies were punctate type (55.1%) and corneal ulcers (11.8%). Risk prediction models for the development of punctate and corneal ulcer type corneal injury were established.
Corneal Diseases; Corneal Ulcer; Risk Factors; Diagnosis of Nursing; Intensive Care Units; Nursing
