Background & Aim: Ultraviolet (UV) keratitis is an inflammation of the corneal epithelium and conjunctiva caused by UV radiation and is associated with the symptoms including severe eye pain, decreased visual acuity, severe tearing and red eye. The use of primary patching in the patients is doubtful. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of eye patching on the improvement of clinical symptoms in patients with UV keratitis.

Methods & Materials: In this clinical trial, 120 patients with UV keratitis referred to the emergency department of Khatam Al Anbia center affiliated to Mashhad University of medical sciences, were randomly assigned into two groups (each group contains 60 patients) with patching and non-patching in 2015 (IRCT2015092124124N1). In one group, both eyes were patched and the other group was not patched. All other care was similar in both groups. Clinical symptoms were checked and compared between two groups before and after 12 hours. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test, paired t-test, Chi-square and Wilcoxon using SPSS software version 23. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The results showed that redness (P<0.001) and tearing (P<0.001) were more improved in the non-patched group but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in visual acuity (P>0.05).

Conclusion: Eye patch does not have effect on the improvement of clinical symptoms such as tearing and redness, and these symptoms are more improved without patching.