Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology and Research · Published 2026-07-01 · DOI 10.4103/jcor.jcor_3_26
Mehul Shah, Shreya Shah, Riddhi Shah, Nikita Balani, Ritu Mamnani, Shubham Jain
The purpose is to evaluate demographic, clinical, and therapeutic factors influencing visual outcomes in exogenous endophthalmitis managed without routine microbiological work-up. This retrospective observational study included 299 eyes diagnosed with exogenous endophthalmitis at a tertiary eye care center between 2014 and 2023. Cases were categorized as traumatic (n = 148) or nontraumatic (n = 151). Demographic characteristics, treatment modalities, and final visual outcomes were analyzed. Visual success was defined as final visual acuity (VA) ≥6/60. Trauma-related endophthalmitis accounted for 49.5% of cases and occurred at a significantly younger age than nontraumatic disease (27.6 ± 20.1 vs. 59.4 ± 14.0 years). Pediatric patients constituted 40.5% of traumatic cases compared with 2.6% of nontraumatic cases. Combined intravitreal injection and vitrectomy was the most common intervention (45.8%). Overall, 24.1% of eyes achieved VA ≥ 6/60. Visual success was higher in iatrogenic cases than traumatic cases (32.1% vs. 18.2%). Pediatric patients demonstrated poorer outcomes than adults (10.9% vs. 27.7%). Vitrectomy-based treatment achieved superior outcomes compared with intravitreal injection alone. Traumatic endophthalmitis disproportionately affects younger and pediatric patients and carries a poorer visual prognosis. Early intervention and vitrectomy-based management improve outcomes. In resource-constrained settings, prompt empiric therapy without routine microbiological work-up appears to be a pragmatic and effective management strategy.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Shah, M., Shah, S., Shah, R., et al. (2026). Beyond the culture plate: Clinical and therapeutic determinants of endophthalmitis outcomes. Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology and Research. https://doi.org/10.4103/jcor.jcor_3_26