Intravitreal injection of vancomycin in experimental staphylococcal endophthalmitis

Toxicity, clearance, and therapeutic effectiveness of intravitreal vancomycin hydrochloride injection in experimentally induced staphylococcal endophthalmitis were evaluated. Vancomycin was found to be nontoxic in a single, 1 mg/0.1 ml intravitreal dose. Therapeutic levels of vancomycin were present in the vitreous for over 72 hours and in the aqueous during a period from 6 to 48 hours after injection. Injection of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus produced a panophthalmitis in our systemically treated controls, whereas in the rabbits treated by intraocular injection, the course of the infection was significantly altered.