Pars plana vitrectomy in the management of endogenous Candida endophthalmitis

A 27-year-old white man had endogenous Candida endophthalmitis with fungi in the vitreous cavity, presumably caused by hematogenous spread related to drug abuse, and was treated by pars plana vitrectomy and antifungal medications administered systemically after surgery. There was no evidence of other systemic involvement, and excision of fungi from the vitreous cavity confirmed the clinical diagnosis and determined the sensitivity of this fungus to antifungal medications. The fungus was sensitive to flucytosine (5-FC), which the patient received orally since it was less toxic to body tissues than amphotericin B. The intraocular infection cleared rapidly after vitrectomy, and visual acuity returned to 6/5 (20/15).