Factors Associated with Visual Outcomes of Postoperative Endophthalmitis Following Cataract Surgery

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The most serious complication related to cataract surgery is endophthalmitis. Although its incidence is decreasing, it remains the great threat to the outcome of visual acuity in patients who received cataract surgery. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed on 18 patients who were diagnosed with endophthalmitis. The following factors were investigated method of cataract extraction, performance of anterior vitrectomy, presence of posterior capsule rupture, results of bacterial culture, existence of systemic disease, and the duration of time from initial cataract surgery to diagnosis of endophthalmitis and then to subsequent posterior vitrectomy. In addition, the differences in final visual acuity due to variations in these factors were analyzed. RESULTS: Patients who were diagnosed with endophthalmitis and had been commenced on systemic antibiotics within a week of the cataract operation, showed better outcomes in final visual acuity (P=0.043). CONCLUSION: Occurrence of endophthalmitis and subsequent usage of systemic antibiotics within a one-week time frame of cataract surgery, led to statistically significant improvement in final visual acuity compared to cases in which these events occurred one week later.