Original articleAcute-onset Endophthalmitis After Cataract Surgery (2000–2004): Incidence, Clinical Settings, and Visual Acuity Outcomes After Treatment
Section snippets
Methods
The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Miami, School of Medicine. The study was a retrospective, observational case series. Annual cataract surgery statistics were determined by review of electronic surgical records. Surgeries were categorized as either clear cornea phacoemulsification or other methods of cataract surgery (phacoemulsification through scleral tunnel, extracapsular cataract extraction, or intracapsular cataract extraction). This
Results
The 5-year incidence rate of acute-onset endophthalmitis after cataract surgery was 0.04% (7/15,920) for cataract surgeries of all methods, 0.05% (6/11,462) for cataract surgery by a temporal clear cornea approach to phacoemulsification, and 0.02% (1/4,458) for cataract surgery through methods other than clear cornea phacoemulsification (P = .681, Fisher’s exact test). The incidence of endophthalmitis by year is displayed in Table 1.
The median age was 74 years (range: 50–83 years). Six of seven
Discussion
Controversy exists regarding the possible increased risk of postoperative endophthalmitis after cataract surgery through clear cornea incision. An experimental study of corneal wound dynamics in cadaver and rabbit corneas reported that even properly constructed corneal wounds may allow communication between the intraocular and extraocular environments.3 Some studies reported an increased risk of endophthalmitis in clear cornea cases,4, 5 whereas another reported no significant difference.6 The
John J. Miller, MD, is currently a vitreoretinal surgical fellow at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, where he also completed his residency. He obtained his graduate degree from the Medical College of Georgia. His primary research interests include ocular trauma and vitreoretinal infectious diseases.
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John J. Miller, MD, is currently a vitreoretinal surgical fellow at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, where he also completed his residency. He obtained his graduate degree from the Medical College of Georgia. His primary research interests include ocular trauma and vitreoretinal infectious diseases.
Supported in part by Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., New York, New York.