Bacterial Spectrum and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of External Ocular Infections Among Patients Attending Dilla University General Hospital Ophthalmic Clinic, Southern Ethiopia

Health professionals in ophthalmic clinics prescribe broad-spectrum topical antibiotics empirically, a major contributing factor to antimicrobial resistance. This practice is also observed in our study area. Thus, this study was done to identify the bacterial spectrum, determine antimicrobial resistance, and identify factors of external eye infections. A cross-sectional study was done from May to December 2023 with a systematic random sampling technique. The study participants' data were collected using a semistructured questionnaire. The specimen was taken aseptically and processed using standard microbiological methods. A total of 413 subjects were enrolled in this study. The overall prevalence of bacterial isolates was 52.8% (218/413) [95% CI: 48.0-57.6]. Gram-positive bacteria [70.6% (154/218)] predominate over gram-negative bacteria [29.4% (64/218)]. Considerable bacteria have shown a high percentage of resistance to penicillin and ampicillin. History of eye surface disease (AOR: 11.79, 95% CI: 2.79-49.69; <i>p</i> = 0.001) and previous usage of antibiotics (AOR: 3.47, 95% CI: 1.12-10.73; <i>p</i> = 0.031) have shown a significant association with bacteria isolated from the external part of the eye. The prevalence of bacteria isolated from the external eye was relatively high. Most bacteria have shown resistance to penicillin and ampicillin. Hence, antimicrobial susceptibility tests better monitor the empirical treatment of external eye infections.