Postoperative endophthalmitis in association with diabetes mellitus

Endophthalmitis continues to be a potentially devasting complication of ocular surgery, despite advances in microsurgical technique and infection-preventing measures. Patients with diabetes have altered immunity at various levels and may be more susceptible to infection after ocular surgery. The authors evaluate the associations between diabetes mellitus and postoperative endophthalmitis.

The records of 162 consecutive patients treated over a 5-year period for endophthalmitis occurring within 2 weeks of ocular surgery were retrospectively reviewed.

Twenty-one percent of this consecutive series of patients with endophthalmitis after surgery had diabetes mellitus. Both the diabetic and nondiabetic groups were similar with respect to age, type of primary surgery, duration from surgery to onset of symptoms, presenting visual acuity, and management of endophthalmitis. Seventy-nine percent of the patients with diabetes and 68% of those without diabetes had culture-proven endophthalmitis. Staphylococcus was responsible for 74% and 71% of the culture-positive cases, respectively. The patients with diabetes were more likely to have endophthalmitis secondary to a gram-negative organism (P < 0.001) than those without diabetes (18.5% versus 5.7%). Visual outcome was worse in the diabetic group, although this may be related to preoperative visual status.

Twenty-one percent of this consecutive series of patients with endophthalmitis after surgery had diabetes mellitus. The patients with diabetes mellitus were more likely to have endophthalmitis caused by gram-negative organisms and appear to have a poorer visual prognosis after treatment for endophthalmitis.