Incidence of Endophthalmitis, Then and Now

Purpose: Report the frequency of differing etiologies of endophthalmitis at the Upstate Medical University, and compare these results to previously reported data. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted based on the medical records of all patients diagnosed with endophthalmitis at the Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York between January 2014 to December 2019. Variables recorded included source of infection, microbial profiles, comorbidities, visual acuity and survival. Results: The study identified 62 patients who were diagnosed with endophthalmitis at the Upstate Medical University from January 2014 to December 2019. The most common etiology was endogenous endophthalmitis with 40 cases (64.5%), of these patients, 13 (32.5%) were culture positive. The remaining 22 cases (35.5%) were due to exogenous endophthalmitis. The mean age of patients with endogenous endophthalmitis was 51.4 years with 65.0% as male. The mean age of patients with exogenous endophthalmitis was 59.5 years with 59.1% as male. The most common identifiable risk factor associated with endogenous endophthalmitis was a history of intravenous drug use seen in 47.5%. Conclusion: Endogenous source was established as the most common etiology in patients diagnosed with endophthalmitis. These results, however, do not parallel with any of the previously reported data where endogenous etiology was identified as one of least common causes. The significance of demonstrating this increase in incidence of endogenous endophthalmitis is to illustrate a shift in paradigm and create awareness among ophthalmologists to avoid overlooking a possible life-threatening condition.