Outcomes of early vitrectomy for endophthalmitis after cataract surgery in delta population, Egypt, 2015–2020

Purpose To evaluate the outcomes of early pars-plana vitrectomy (PPV) in the management of acute onset endophthalmitis after cataract surgery. Study design Retrospective observational study. Patients and methods We collected data from 11 patients who were diagnosed as acute infectious endophthalmitis within 6 weeks after cataract surgery, from January 2015 to December 2020 and had undergone early 23-G PPV and were followed up for 3 months. We analyzed factors that may affect prognosis and final visual outcomes. Results The mean age was 58±5 years, there was male predominance (72.7%). The mean axial length was 24.76±1.58 mm. The baseline best-corrected visual acuity was 2.3 logMAR and was improved to 1.2 logMAR at the third month (P<0.001). Mixed air/fluid intraocular tamponade was used in 63.6% of patients. About half of the cases had positive cultures (54.5%), and the most frequent organism was Staphylococcus aureus (66.7%). Retinal detachment was reported in 36.4% of patients. The preoperative factors correlated with final best-corrected visual acuity were posterior vitreous detachment and intraocular tamponade. Conclusions Early PPV for acute-onset endophthalmitis after cataract surgery aided in improving final visual outcome and preserving structural and functional integrity of the globe, thus preventing late complications that could affect patients’ quality of life. Factors that influence the final visual outcome were intraocular tamponade and posterior vitreous detachment.