Acute-onset postoperative endophthalmitis: Review of incidence and visual outcomes (1995-2001)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence rate of acute-onset postoperative endophthalmitis and to assess visual acuity outcomes after treatment from the most recent 7 years (1995-2001) compared with the previous 11 years (1984-1994) among patients undergoing intraocular surgery at the same institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records were reviewed of all patients undergoing intraocular surgery at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2001. RESULTS: The 7-year incidence rate of acute-onset postoperative endophthalmitis was 0.05% (17 of 35,916 intraocular surgeries). The number of patients with endophthalmitis (incidence) and their median final visual acuity for each surgical category are as follows: cataract extraction: 8/21,972 (0.04%) - 20/100; glaucoma surgery: 4/1,970 (0.2%) - 20/70; penetrating keratoplasty: 2/2,362 (0.08%) - light perception; pars plana vitrectomy: 2/7,429 (0.03%) - hand movements; secondary intraocular lens placement: 1/485 (0.2%) - 20/40. Of the 8 cases of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery, 6 cases occurred after phacoemulsification and 2 of these cases had a clear corneal sutureless incision. CONCLUSION: The most recent 7-year incidence rate of acute-onset postoperative endophthalmitis is significantly lower than that of the previous 11 years (0.05% versus 0.09%; P=0.031) at the same institution. Visual acuity outcomes after treatment were generally better in cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, and secondary intraocular lens categories compared to pars plana vitrectomy and penetrating keratoplasty categories.