Endophthalmitis
Also known as Eye Infection After Surgery, Intraocular Infection, Postoperative Eye Infection, Infection Inside the Eye
Bottom Line
Endophthalmitis is a serious infection inside the eye. New pain, redness, or vision loss after eye surgery or an eye injection needs same-day emergency eye care.
Endophthalmitis is inflammation and infection inside the eye, often from bacteria or fungi. It can happen after eye surgery, an eye injection, eye trauma, or an infection in the bloodstream 1.
Warning signs include worse eye pain, new redness, light sensitivity, swollen lids, floaters, pus, or a sudden vision drop. These symptoms are most urgent after surgery or an eye injection.
Treatment usually starts fast with antibiotics placed inside the eye. Some severe cases need vitrectomy surgery to remove infected fluid and debris 2.
How Doctors Diagnose It
Doctors diagnose endophthalmitis with an urgent eye exam. They look for inflammation inside the eye, cloudy fluid, and retina involvement.
A small sample of eye fluid may be sent for culture. This helps identify bacteria or fungi, but treatment often starts before results return 1.
Treatment
The first treatment is usually medicine injected into the eye. The exact medicine depends on whether bacteria, fungi, or another cause is likely.
Vitrectomy surgery may be used when vision is very poor or infection is dense. The Endophthalmitis Vitrectomy Study tested this approach in postoperative bacterial endophthalmitis 2.
Warning Signs After Eye Surgery
Some scratchiness after surgery can be normal. Worsening pain, new redness, pus, floaters, or vision loss is not normal.
Do not wait for a routine visit if these symptoms appear. Call the surgeon's emergency line the same day 3.
Common Questions About Endophthalmitis
Next Steps
- 1Call your eye surgeon or retina specialist now for new pain, redness, floaters, or vision drop after a procedure.
- 2Go to the emergency room if the eye doctor cannot be reached the same day.
- 3Do not put in leftover antibiotic or steroid drops unless your surgeon tells you to.
- 4Bring the surgery or injection date, medicine list, and allergy list.
- 5Keep every follow-up visit until the infection is controlled.
Find specialists for Endophthalmitis
Board-certified ophthalmologists who treat Endophthalmitis.
Also relevant