Endogenous Endophthalmitis: A 10-Year Retrospective Study at a Tertiary Hospital in South India

Consensus and controversies in the science of endophthalmitis management: Basic research and clinical perspectives

Infectious endophthalmitis is a severe intraocular infection caused by bacteria, or less commonly by fungi. It can occur after penetrating eye procedures, trauma, or the spread of infection from contiguous structures or via emboli from distant organs. Because of the time-critical nature of the treatment, endophthalmitis is treated with the clinical diagnosis and modified by the microbiological report of the intraocular contents. The current strategy for managing endophthalmitis relies on pre-clinical literature, case series, and one large multi-center randomized clinical trial on post-cataract surgery endophthalmitis. Culture-susceptibility of the microorganisms from undiluted vitreous guides the definitive treatment in non-responsive cases. Strategies to reduce the incidence of endophthalmitis after penetrating eye procedures have been developed concurrently with refined means of treatment. Despite these advances, outcomes remain poor for many patients. Although consensus articles have been published on managing endophthalmitis, treatment patterns vary, and controversies remain. These include (1) the use of newer methods for early and precise microbiological diagnosis; (2) the choice of intravitreal antibiotics; (3) the need for systemic therapy; (4) early and complete vitrectomy. Here, we review the current consensus and address controversies in diagnosing and managing endophthalmitis. This review is intended to familiarize physicians and ophthalmologists with different aspects of endophthalmitis management to make informed decisions.

Bilateral Endogenous Endophthalmitis Secondary to Streptococcus pneumoniae: An Uncommon but Devastating Complication

Endophthalmitis is an infection of the vitreous and/or aqueous humours, caused by bacteria or fungi, and can be either exogenous (resulting from trauma or intraocular procedures) or endogenous (hematogenous in origin). Although less common than exogenous endophthalmitis, endogenous endophthalmitis can have serious, vision-threatening consequences. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a rare cause of endogenous endophthalmitis and is associated with a poor prognosis. In this report, we present a rare case of pneumococcal endogenous endophthalmitis that led to a devastating outcome despite both medical and surgical interventions. Early systemic treatment and prompt identification of the primary source are crucial and potentially life-saving.

Bilateral Endogenous Klebsiella pneumoniae Endophthalmitis in Culture-Negative Liver Abscess Requiring Evisceration: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Endogenous endophthalmitis is a very rare but potentially devastating intraocular inflammation resulting from hematogenous dissemination into the eye from a remote focus of infection. We present a case of a 49-year-old Vietnamese gentleman with underlying hypertension and ischemic heart disease who presented with sudden onset bilateral eye blurring of vision for five days associated with fever, chills, and rigors. He started to have a chesty cough with right-sided pleuritic chest pain for three days as well as shortness of breath, which developed one day prior to admission. Bilateral ocular examinations and B-scan ultrasonography were consistent with endophthalmitis. A systemic workup was performed and showed multiloculated liver abscess and right lung empyema seen radiologically. Bilateral eye vitreous tap and intravitreal antibiotic injection were performed. He underwent ultrasound-guided pigtail catheter insertion and drainage of the subcapsular and pelvic collection. Microbiological findings revealed Klebsiella pneumoniae infection obtained from vitreous and endotracheal aspirate samples. There were no cultures yielded from the intraabdominal collection and peripheral blood. The right eye infection rapidly progressed to panophthalmitis, which subsequently led to globe perforation despite prompt treatment and eventually required evisceration. Thus, despite culture-negative pyogenic liver abscess in a non-diabetic patient, a high index of suspicion, emergent radiographic evaluation, and prompt intervention and treatment are crucial in salvaging the globes.

Gram-Negative Endogenous Endophthalmitis: A Systematic Review

Background: Gram-negative bacteria are causative agents of endogenous endophthalmitis (EBE). We aim to systematically review the current literature to assess the aetiologies, risk factors, and early ocular lesions in cases of Gram-negative EBE. Methods: All peer-reviewed articles between January 2002 and August 2022 regarding Gram-negative EBE were included. We conducted a literature search on PubMed and Cochrane Controlled Trials. Results: A total of 115 studies and 591 patients were included, prevalently Asian (98; 81.7%) and male (302; 62.9%). The most common comorbidity was diabetes (231; 55%). The main aetiologies were Klebsiella pneumoniae (510; 66.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (111; 14.4%), and Escherichia coli (60; 7.8%). Liver abscesses (266; 54.5%) were the predominant source of infection. The most frequent ocular lesions were vitreal opacity (134; 49.6%) and hypopyon (95; 35.2%). Ceftriaxone (76; 30.9%), fluoroquinolones (14; 14.4%), and ceftazidime (213; 78.0%) were the most widely used as systemic, topical, and intravitreal anti-Gram-negative agents, respectively. The most reported surgical approaches were vitrectomy (130; 24.1%) and evisceration/exenteration (60; 11.1%). Frequently, visual acuity at discharge was no light perception (301; 55.2%). Conclusions: Gram-negative EBEs are associated with poor outcomes. Our systematic review is mainly based on case reports and case series with significant heterogeneity. The main strength is the large sample spanning over 20 years. Our findings underscore the importance of considering ocular involvement in Gram-negative infections.

Unveiling endophthalmitis post COVID-19 - A case series

Since December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, has become a global pandemic. There has been a resurgence in complications involving various organs in patients recovered from COVID-19, and endophthalmitis is one of them. Endophthalmitis—an inflammation of intraocular tissues leading to loss of vision or even loss of eye—has been a rare occurrence in the past, but has been on the rise in the post-COVID-19 times. Here we report seven such cases.

Visual outcome of endogenous endophthalmitis in Thailand

To evaluate a 10-year visual outcome of endogenous endophthalmitis (EE) patients. A 10-year retrospective chart review of EE patients. Thirty-eight patients (40 eyes) were diagnosed with EE at the mean age of 42. Among the identifiable pathogens (71.1% culture positive), the causative agents were predominantly gram-negative bacteria (48.1%). The most common specie was Klebsiella pneumoniae (25.9%). About a quarter of the patients required surgical eye removal, and the remaining 45.7% had visual acuity (VA) worse than hand motion at one month after the infectious episode. The most common complication was ocular hypertension (52.5%). Poor initial VA was significantly associated with a worse visual outcome in the early post-treatment period (p 0.12, adjusted OR 10.20, 95% CI 1.65–62.96). Five patients continued to visit the clinic for at least ten years. One patient had gained his vision from hand motion to 6/7.5. Two patients had visual deterioration, one from corneal decompensation, and the other from chronic retinal re-detachment. Two patients developed phthisis bulbi, with either some VA perception of light or no light perception. Poor initial VA is the only prognostic factor of a poor early post-treatment visual outcome of EE.

Does Endogenous Endophthalmitis Need a More Aggressive Treatment?

Topic: To focus on endogenous endophthalmitis management, particularly etiology-based medical and surgical therapy.Methods: Literature search of published studies from July 1990 to February 2019 on endogenous endophthalmitis available on PubMed was made without any language constraints.Results: A total of 78 articles were retrieved from 728 initially analyzed and 62 studies were included. Although the superiority of vitrectomy over tap and inject techniques is controversial, the most recent publications favor an early surgical approach for endogenous endophthalmitis. Vitrectomy is useful in severe cases complicated by marked vitreous opacity, retinal detachment, poor initial visual acuity, and more virulent pathogens. Oral or intravenous antibiotics are also necessary to treat systemic infection. Vitrectomy is superior to blood cultures in diagnosing the etiology of infection.Conclusions: Endogenous endophthalmitis is an important cause of visual acuity impairment. Prompt treatment with appropriate use of pharmacological or surgical therapy is mandatory to preserve visual function.Abbreviations: IOP: intra-ocular pressure; AIDS: acquired immune deficiency syndrome; EVS: endophthalmitis vitrectomy study; CEVE: complete and early vitrectomy for endophthalmitis.

Clinical presentations, microbiology and management outcomes of culture-proven endogenous endophthalmitis in India

Purpose:

To report the clinical presentation, microbiology, and management outcome of endogenous endophthalmitis in Indian patients.

Methods:

Retrospective chart review of culture-positive (vitreous/urine/blood) endogenous endophthalmitis cases treated in tertiary eye care facility in India was done.

Results:

The study included 173 eyes of 117 patients. Mean patient age was 25.41 ± 20.46 years (median 24 years). Pre-disposing systemic illness could not be elicited in 79 (67.63%) patients. Commonest predisposing systemic condition in patients where it could be detected (n = 79) was pyrexia of unknown origin (25/79 = 32.0%). Following treatment, 45 out of 173 (26.0%) eyes regained vision of ≥20/400. Commonest isolated organism from vitreous was Streptococcus pneumoniae (36 eyes, 20.8%) and fungi were isolated in 24 (13.8%) eyes, the commonest being Candida spp. (8/24, 33.33%). Favorable functional outcome was seen in 26% eyes and favorable anatomic outcome in 43% eyes. Those with an underlying systemic illness were older (P = 0.02), had greater urine culture positivity (P = 0.003), lesser vitreous culture positivity (0.001), greater gram negative etiology (P = 0.0006), and greater fungal etiology (P = 0.01) as compared to those cases without underlying systemic illness.

Conclusion:

Endogenous endophthalmitis in India often presents in young immunocompetent individuals without any underlying systemic illness and with negative blood or urine microbiologic work up. Underlying systemic illness leads to greater gram-negative and fungal etiology. Overall visual outcome is poor inspite of prompt management.

ENDOGENOUS ENDOPHTHALMITIS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA: A Sixteen-Year Retrospective Study

PURPOSE

To review the clinical features, microbiology spectrum, management, and outcomes of patients with endogenous endophthalmitis in Western Australia over a 16-year period.

METHODS

This is a retrospective chart review of all patients with endogenous endophthalmitis who presented to all tertiary ophthalmology departments between 2000 and 2015 in Western Australia.

RESULTS

Sixty-six eyes of 57 patients with endogenous endophthalmitis were identified, and follow-up data were available for a mean of 554 days. The average frequency was 1.6 per 1,000,000 population per year. Diabetes mellitus (33%) and intravenous drug use (30%) were the most common risk factors. Concurrent systemic infections included urinary tract infection (28%), pneumonia (23%), and endocarditis (21%). Among culture-positive cases (93%), 57% were bacterial and 43% were fungal. Visual acuity improved in 33 (50%) and declined in 15 eyes (22.7%). Baseline visual acuity and the presence of Gram-negative or filamentous fungi were the only predictors of final visual acuity (P = 0.023 and P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The population frequency of endogenous endophthalmitis has not changed over 16 years despite the changing profile of pathogen and risk factors. Similar to previous studies in Asian and Western countries, visual and anatomical prognosis depends on initial visual acuity and isolated pathogen. Gram-negative and filamentous fungi culture predicted a worse visual outcome.

Endogenous Endophthalmitis: A 21-Year Review of Cases at a Tertiary Eye Care Centre

Purpose: Endogenous endophthalmitis is rare and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The primary objective was to identify causative organisms. Secondary objectives included the determination of systemic risk factors and visual prognostic factors.Design: Retrospective reviewMethods: 78 eyes from 62 subjects over a 21-year period from 1999 to 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. Parameters assessed included pathologic microbial organism, clinical presentation, treatment, complications, prognostic factors, and visual outcomes.Methods: Information was collected on microbiology, treatment, visual outcomes, and complications.Results: Median age was 61.6 years and 32 subjects (51.6%) were male. Diabetes was the most common risk factor seen in 24 (38.7%) subjects. 17 subjects (27.4%) presented directly to ophthalmology and 17.4% had an initial misdiagnosis. 49 subjects (79.0%) presented with reduced vision and only 27 (43.5%) presented with pain. Hypopyon was present in 13 eyes (16.7%). Gram-positive bacteria were the most common causative organism seen in 40 (51.3%) eyes, followed by yeast and fungi in 21 (26.9%) eyes, then gram-negative bacteria seen in 17 (21.8%) eyes. Median final BCVA was 6/18. Severe vision loss occurred in 33 (42.3%) eyes and 7 (9.0%) eyes required evisceration or enucleation. Presenting visual acuity was a significant predictor of visual outcome.Conclusion: Endogenous endophthalmitis occurred at 1.9 cases per million per year. Ophthalmologists require a high index of suspicion for underlying systemic infection in any subject presenting with ocular inflammation, and need to be aware that endogenous endophthalmitis may present without pain and frequently without hypopyon.

Streptococcus salivarius endogenous endophthalmitis

We describe a case of endogenous endophthalmitis in an elderly man caused by Streptococcus salivarius An 88-year-old male patient with diabetes with iron deficiency anaemia and history of transcatheter aortic valve implantation presented with an insidious clinical picture of atraumatic endophthalmitis. No internal or external source could be identified. Diagnostic and therapeutic vitrectomy revealed papillomacular abscess and vitreous fluids grew S. salivarius Despite lack of an identifiable source of infection, a high index of suspicion for atypical presentations is required in patients with multiple comorbidities that could weaken their immune system towards opportunistic infections. Early detection, microbiological evaluation and prompt treatment are critical to avoid disastrous outcomes. While S. salivarius has been implicated in cases of exogenous endophthalmitis, this is the first reported case of endogenous endophthalmitis due to S. salivarius.

Endogenous Endophthalmitis: A Review of Case Series Published between 2011 and 2020

This is a literature review of 31 case series of endogenous endophthalmitis (EE) published in the last ten years, identified from a literature search of several databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library). While diabetes mellitus and malignancies remain the most frequently associated medical conditions, intravenous drug use is a significant risk factor (especially in the last years, in studies from Western countries). Ophthalmologic screening is recommended for candidaemia, but not in patients with sepsis of other aetiologies (however, the physician treating patients with sepsis must be well aware of EE). The most frequent Gram-positive microorganisms that cause EE are Staphylococcus and Streptococcus; the most frequent Gram-negative organism is Pseudomonas, and yeasts, probably Candida, usually cause fungal infections. In all-cause EE, prognostic factors of better visual outcomes are initial VA better than counting fingers, performing a pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), performing an intravitreal injection within the first 24 hours after clinical diagnosis, and the presence of a focal type of EE. In endogenous fungal endophthalmitis, more than 1/4 of patients have bilateral involvement. Blood samples have a low rate of positivity. Yeasts remain the most prevalent cause. Many authors report using azoles and echinocandins for systemic therapy (and voriconazole for intravitreal injections). Although PPV was performed in small proportions of eyes, the anatomical success rate is quite high. Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important cause of EE in Southeast Asia (and probably an emergent etiology in other regions), which is frequently associated with diabetes. There is a robust association with pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) (but in up to half of the cases, the diagnosis of EE precedes that of PLA). Blood cultures have a high diagnostic yield, while vitreous samples have a low yield. K. pneumoniae may carry antibiotic resistance. Anatomical and functional success rates are small, but they may be improved with PPV.

Etiology, microbiological isolates, and antibiotic susceptibilities in culture-proven pediatric endophthalmitis: a 9-year review

Purpose

To analyze the etiology, microbiological isolates, and antibiotic susceptibilities of endophthalmitis in pediatric patients.

Methods

Patients aged < 18 years with culture-positive endophthalmitis in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center between January 2010 and December 2018 were included retrospectively.

Results

A total of 127 patients (127 eyes) were included, and 108 (85%) had posttraumatic endophthalmitis. Streptococcus (21.4%), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (14.5%), Aspergillus (6.9%), and Bacillus cereus (5.3%) were the common organisms. The proportion of Streptococcus decreased with age (40.0% in 0–3 years, 16.3% in 4–12 years, and 6.3% in 13–17 years), while coagulase-negative Staphylococcus increased from 5.7% to 18.8%. Overall, fluoroquinolones achieved the highest antibiotic susceptibility rate (> 95%), while the susceptibility of isolated bacteria to tobramycin and cefazolin was only 60.2% and 59.4%, respectively. The susceptibility rates of Gram-positive cocci to cephalosporins were nearly 90%. For Gram-negative bacilli, susceptibility to neomycin was 91.3%.

Conclusion

Trauma was the main etiology for pediatric endophthalmitis. Although Streptococcus was the most prevalent organism in general, the dominant pathogen varied with age, which merits clinical attention. Fluoroquinolones showed the highest antibiotic efficacy; however, commonly used antibiotics tobramycin and cefazolin showed relatively low antibiotic susceptibility. Thus, antibiotic resistance in pediatric populations merits clinical attention.

Clinicomicrobiological profile, visual outcome and mortality of culture-proven endogenous endophthalmitis in Taiwan

This is a retrospective study in consecutive cases with cultured-proven endogenous endophthalmitis (EE) treated at the largest tertiary medical center in middle Taiwan in the past 10 years. 83 eyes of 70 patients were enrolled. The mean interval between systemic diseases to the diagnosis of EE was 8.84 ± 6.94 days. The mean initial visual acuity (VA) in the logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) was 1.63 ± 0.87. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was the most common predisposing medical illness (N = 53, 63.86%). The most common infectious sources were intra-abdominal abscess (N = 36, 43.37%), and the second most reason was urinary tract infection. The causative pathogen was Gram-negative predominant (N = 64, 77.11%). After aggressive treatment, 34.94% of eyes regain useful vision, and only six eyes underwent enucleation or evisceration. The binary multivariate logistic regression model revealed that female gender (95% CI 1.002–19.036, p = 0.05, OR 4.37), initial VA logMAR (95% CI 0.089–0.550, p = 0.01, OR 0.22), and more intravitreal injections (95% CI 0.368–0.927, p = 0.023, OR 0.58) were independent risk factors influencing final outcomes. Based on the results mentioned above, early diagnosis is recommended to gain better outcomes. The mean interval between systemic diseases to the diagnosis of EE was 8.84 ± 6.94 days in our sample population, clinicians should maintain a higher index of suspicion during this period when encountering patients with bacteremia or fungemia.

Clinical analysis and predictive factors associated with improved visual acuity of infectious endophthalmitis

Background

To describe the clinical characteristics and analyze the predictive factors associated with improved visual acuity of 359 patients with infectious endophthalmitis.

Methods

This study retrospectively analyzed 359 eyes of 359 patients with infectious endophthalmitis from January 2014 to December 2018. The findings summarized some epidemiological characteristics of these patients, including age, sex, occupation, patient visit time, etiology, causative organisms, therapy, and best-corrected visual acuity. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to predict the relative factors of improved visual acuity (VA).

Results

Overall, 283 (78.83%) patients were male. The mean age was 48.0 ± 18.27 years. Ocular trauma, especially open globe injuries (246, 68.5%) was the most common etiology of infectious endophthalmitis in this study. The etiologies of infectious endophthalmitis were open globe injuries (68.5%), intraocular surgery (22.6%), and corneal ulcer-associated (6.7%) and endogenous causes (2.2%). In the etiology classification and visual acuity improvement group, had statistically significant differences in factors such as age, sex, patient visit time, pre-therapy visual acuity, etc. The average Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (logMAR) best-corrected visual acuity on pre-therapy was 2.28 ± 0.60, and it had significantly improved to 1.67 ± 0.83 post-therapy (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that visit time > 7 day (P = 0.034, OR = 0.522, 95% CI: 0.286–0.953), pre-therapy VA ≦logMAR 2.3 (P = 0.032, OR = 1.809, 95% CI: 1.052–3.110), post-surgical (vs. posttraumatic; P = 0.023, OR = 2.100, 95% CI: 1.109–3.974), and corneal ulcer-associated etiologies (vs. posttraumatic; P = 0.005, OR = 0.202, 95%CI: 0.066–0.621) were significantly associated with improved visual acuity after adjusting for possible confounding factors.

Conclusions

Among the patients with infectious endophthalmitis, middle-aged male, especially farmers and workers, accounted for a large proportion. Open globe injuries were the main cause and the gram-positive bacteria were the major causative organisms. The final visual outcomes seemed to vary according to the type of endophthalmitis, but early treatment and good initial visual acuity were important factors for visual acuity improvement.

Clinical profile and outcome of endogenous endophthalmitis at a quaternary referral centre in south India

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical profile, visual, anatomical and survival outcome of patients with endogenous endophthalmitis.

Methods:

Retrospective chart review of consecutive cases with endogenous endophthalmitis presenting from 2009-2016.

Results:

In our study, 41 eyes of 34 patients were included. Most common co-morbidity associated with endogenous endophthalmitis was Diabetes Mellitus (70.7%) and most common infective foci was UTI (73.2%). Among the culture positive cases, fungi and bacteria were evenly distributed, 76.93% were Gram positive bacteria and 23.07% were Gram negative. Fungal endogenous endophthalmitis was more commonly seen in immunosuppressed state (72.7%) and bilateral cases (66.7%). The mean presenting vision (log MAR) of patients who died during the study were poor compared to those who survived (P = 0.014) Poor mean visual acuity at presentation was associated with more death (P = 0.014). Eyes with poor presenting vision, fungal isolates, culture positivity and immune suppression had poor visual and survival outcome. Poor visual outcome was observed more frequently in eyes with Aspergillus infection (85.7%) compared to Candida (75%) and bacteria (58.3%). Evisceration was done for 5 out of 41 eyes (12.2%). Vitrectomy rate was 53.7% in our study, with 40% of them showing overall improvement in vision.

Conclusion:

Endogenous endophthalmitis is a sight threatening condition associated with high mortality particularly when caused by Aspergillus spp. in immunocompromised patients. Contrary to the prior published reports of endogenous endophthalmitis outside India, we found an equal distribution of fungal and bacterial organisms among our cases, with predominance of Aspergillus among fungal isolates and Gram-positive organism among bacteria. Fungal infections, especially with Aspergillus spp., resulted in poor visual and survival outcome.

A presentation of culture-positive corneal donors and the effect on clinical outcomes

PURPOSE

Donor-to-host transmission of infectious agents is a rare but well-recognised complication of corneal transplantation and may carry a grave visual prognosis. In this case series, we describe the clinical features and risk factors of using culture-positive donor corneas for transplantation.

METHODS

Retrospective chart review of a series of patients who underwent either penetrating keratoplasty (PK) or Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) with positive microbiology cultivation during routine assessment of donor corneal tissue obtained at the time of surgery. Donor and recipient characteristics, tissue preparation and surgical parameters, clinical signs and outcomes were registered.

RESULTS

Eleven patients who received culture-positive corneal grafts were identified: six with Candida, three with Gram-positive bacteria and two with Gram-negative bacteria. Three patients developed clinical keratitis after routine DSAEK using corneas contaminated with Candida species. The median death-to-preservation time (DPT) of these three donor corneas was 18.08 (range 18.08 to 20.90) h, while in the remaining eight donors, it was 12.27 (range 9.32 to 20.47) h. Despite the initiation of antifungal treatment, all three cases required explantation of the graft and a subsequent re-DSAEK.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of donor corneas that are culture-positive for Candida carries a risk for developing postoperative keratitis and the risk may be higher in DSAEK. Unlike the cold storage technique employed for donor corneas described in this case series, organ culture technique requires microbiological screening and supplementation of an antifungal agent which may reduce the risk of donor-to-host transmission of fungal infection.

Endogenous endophthalmitis: a 9-year retrospective study at a tertiary referral hospital in Malaysia

Background

The objective of this study was to determine the clinical presentation, systemic risk factors, source of infective microorganism, treatment outcomes, and prognostic indicators of endogenous endophthalmitis at a main tertiary referral hospital for uveitis in Malaysia. A retrospective review of medical records of 120 patients (143 eyes) with endogenous endophthalmitis over a period of 9 years between January 2007 and December 2015 was undertaken.

Results

Identifiable systemic risk factors were present in 79.2%, with the majority related to diabetes mellitus (60.0%). The most common source of bacteremia was urinary tract infection (17.5%). A positive culture from ocular fluid or other body fluids was obtained in 82 patients (68.9%), and the blood was the highest source among all culture-positive results (42.0%). Gram-negative organisms accounted 42 cases (50.6%) of which Klebsiella pneumonia was the most common organism isolated (32.5%). Sixty-nine eyes (48.6%) were managed medically, and 73 eyes (51.4%) underwent vitrectomy. Final visual acuity of counting fingers (CF) or better was achieved in 100 eyes (73.0%). Presenting visual acuity of CF or better was significantly associated with a better final acuity of CF or better (p = 0.001).

Conclusions

The visual prognosis of endogenous endophthalmitis is often poor, leading to blindness. As expected, gram-negative organisms specifically Klebsiella pneumonia were the most common organisms isolated. Urinary tract infection was the main source of infection. Poor presenting visual acuity was significantly associated with grave visual outcomes. A high index of suspicion, early diagnosis, and treatment are crucial to salvage useful vision.

[A series of 20 cases of endogenous endophthalmitis]

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this case series was to evaluate both the visual and systemic prognosis of patients with endogenous endophthalmitis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We reported a series of 20 cases of endogenous endophthalmitis occurring between 2012 and 2015 at the university medical center in Toulouse.

RESULTS

The mean age was 67 (±43.3) years with a male predominance (n=11). The site of entry was found in 14 cases (87.5%). In 11 cases (69%), the causative agent was a bacterium; a fungal infection was found in five cases. Visual acuity after maximal medical and surgical treatment was limited to "no light perception" in 7 cases (35%), "hand motion" in 2 cases (10%), "finger counting" in 3 cases (15%) and 10/10 in 2 cases (10%). One case had no final data. The main site of entry was found to be associated endocarditis (n=7), central venous line or venipuncture (n=6). The main local complications were retinal detachment (n=6), cataract (n=5) and choroidal neovascularization secondary to scarring (n=2).

CONCLUSIONS

Endogenous endophthalmitis is associated with poor visual prognosis. It is also often associated with systemic complications that may be life-threatening.

Clinical Features and Visual Acuity Outcomes in Culture-Positive Endogenous Fungal Endophthalmitis in Southern China

Purpose

To report the causative organisms, management strategies, and visual outcomes of culture-proven endogenous fungal endophthalmitis in a case series from southern China.

Methods

We reviewed the microbiological and medical records of patients with culture-positive endogenous fungal endophthalmitis visiting the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Guangzhou, China, between January 1, 2006, and March 31, 2016.

Results

The inclusion criteria were met in 32 eyes of 29 patients. Molds were a common causative organism in 15 patients (51.7%), while yeasts appeared in 14 patients (48.3%). Initial visual acuity (VA) at the level of finger counting or better was significantly related to a good visual outcome (P = 0.002). Molds as a causative agent were significantly associated with worse visual outcome than yeasts (P = 0.020).

Conclusion

Molds were a common cause of culture-proven fungal endophthalmitis. Endogenous fungal endophthalmitis is generally associated with poor VA outcomes, especially if caused by molds and if the patient's initial VA is too low to permit finger counting.