ENDOPHTHALMITIS FOLLOWING PENETRATING EYE INJURIES

Postinjury endophthalmitis is the eye infection with the worst prognos is. A retrospective 9-year study was made of penetrating eye injuries, with an analysis of the incidence of infection and its relation to th e type of wound and the presence of intraocular foreign bodies. There were 403 cases of penetrating eye injury; of these, 233 affected the c ornea and 170 involved the posterior pole. Intraocular foreign bodies were present in 40 cases. Endophthalmitis developed in 4.2% of cases ( 17/403), and was more common in patients with posterior pole involveme nt (7%) than in purely corneal trauma (2.1%) (p = 0.03, Chi-square). I nfection was in turn more frequent in the presence of intraocular fore ign bodies (15%) (p = 0.17, Chi-square). Staphylococcus epidermidis wa s the most common cause (23.4%), while in three cases (17.6%) mixed in fection was detected. The visual results were evisceration or non-perc eption of light in 82.3% of cases.