Infectious endophthalmitis: clinical features, management and visual outcomes

Aim: To identify the clinical features and outcomes of infectious endophthalmitis in New Zealand. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on all patients presenting at Auckland Public Hospital with presumed infectious endophthalmitis between 1996 and 2004. Results: One hundred and six patients were diagnosed with infectious endophthalmitis over the 9‐year study period. More than half the infections occurred in the perioperative setting (58.5%), with the next most common group being patients with a history of ocular trauma (18.9%). Endogenous endophthalmitis accounted for 16.0% of the cases while a small percentage arose from other causes. The mean interval between the onset of symptoms and presentation was 4.2 ± 7.9 days. There was no significant difference in outcomes between clinical settings (P = 0.616) or between gram‐positive, gram‐negative and fungal infections (P = 0.090). Evisceration/enucleation was more likely in Pacific peoples and those with poor presenting visual acuity. Conclusions: The most common clinical scenario for patients presenting with presumed infectious endophthalmitis in this series was in the perioperative setting. We did not find that the prognosis was influenced by the microbiological isolate or clinical setting. However, those patients presenting with poor acuities typically had the worst outcomes. Pacific ethnicity was also associated with increased rate of complications.