Clinician-scientists led by the University of Utah’s John A. Moran Eye Center have identified which bacterial pathogens are associated with the poorest outcomes in postprocedural acute endophthalmitis, findings that could support faster, more personalised treatment and improve patients’ chances of recovery.
Published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, the multicentre study led by Dr Christopher Conrady analysed 240 cases of acute endophthalmitis treated between 2012 and 2022 at four academic medical centres. The study found patients infected with more aggressive bacteria, including certain Streptococcus and Enterococcus species, were far more likely to experience severe vision loss and complications than patients infected with surface commensals, particularly coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species.
Dr Conrady said the findings highlight challenges that have slowed clinical advances in endophthalmitis care, much of which is still guided largely by the landmark ‘Endophthalmitis vitrectomy study’ published in 1995. In a newly published editorial in the journal Ophthalmology, he discussed the need for faster diagnostic tools to help doctors identify dangerous bacteria sooner, as well as the need for additional studies to better understand which treatment approaches work best for different types of infection.
“This is about making excellent care even better,” he said. “We want to give patients the best possible chance of preserving vision if these infections occur.”
