Outcome of intravitreal bevacizumab injection without pre and postoperative antibiotics

Intravitreal injections are the most common treatment modality for several retinal pathologies. Despite endophthalmitis being the most feared complication, antibioprophylaxis remains controversial in intravitreal injections.

This was a retrospective study done for a period of 2 years from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2018 in B. P Koirala Lions Centre for Ophthalmic Studies (BPKLCOS) among patients receiving intravitreal bevacizumab. The intravitreal injection was given by a single surgeon. It included 503 eyes which received intravitreal bevacizumab over a period of 2 years without pre and postoperative antibiotics.

Out of 503 eyes studied over a period of 2 years without antibiotic prophylaxis the rate of endophthalmitis was 0.0019% which is very low compared to the other studies with rate of endophthalmitis between 0.019-0.09%.

The risk of endophthalmitis was low even without pre/post-operative antibiotics. Intravitreal injection can be given safely without pre-operative and post-operative antibiotics. Trial Registration not applicable as it is a retrospective study.