Abstract
Purpose:
Endophthalmitis generally results in very poor outcomes. The purpose of this study was to report a series of 3 consecutive patients with severe endophthalmitis following apparently uneventful strabismus surgery in which all 3 returned to their preoperative vision.
Methods:
The medical records of 3 consecutive cases of post-operative endophthalmitis following strabismus surgery at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed.
Results:
Three male patients (age 20 months, 6 years, and 57 years) each underwent uneventful bilateral strabismus surgery. Unilateral endophthalmitis with an associated scleral or choroidal abscess adjacent to a recessed muscle was diagnosed a mean of 11 days (range, 3-18 days) following surgery. All 3 were treated with ≥ 1 dose of intravitreal antibiotics as well as intravitreal dexamethasone in 2, while one patient required cataract surgery. The vision returned to the preoperative level by 11 weeks in the adult and to normal vision after 18 months of follow-up in the 2 children.
Conclusions:
Endophthalmitis following strabismus surgery generally results in very poor visual outcomes, however all 3 patients in this series had a return to baseline visual acuity. The use of intravitreal dexamethasone in 2 of the study patients, although controversial, may have played an advantageous role in the outcome of these patients.
Keywords: 513 endophthalmitis •
722 strabismus