Endophthalmitis: Causes, Symptoms And Treatment
Posted by Accuspire on Jul 16th 2020
Endophthalmitis is a tissue or fluid infection inside the eyeball and requires immediate medical assistance. Though it is a rare condition, it affects the eyes severely and causes permanent vision loss.
Endophthalmitis Causes:
This condition is caused when bacteria gets inside the eyeball after a cataract surgery, an eye injury or an injection in the eye. One of the other cause is puncture wounds, which is also known as exogenous endophthalmitis as the infection source is outside from the body.
Endophthalmitis Symptoms:
The symptoms are usually seen within some days after an eye surgery. This is known as acute endophthalmitis and this condition can develop more slowly and is known as chronic endophthalmitis if some types of fungi or bacteria enter the eye. Both these kinds are different types of exogenous infection. It can also start from other infections like urinary infection or blood infection which slowly spreads to the eyes. Some of the common symptoms are eye pain, white or yellow discharge from eyes, swollen eyelids, puffy eyelids, blurred vision, red eyes etc.
If you have any of these symptoms after a cataract surgery, consult your doctor and check for enophthalmitis. If it is left untreated, it can damage the eyes and retinal tissues, finally leading to complete blindness.
Endophthalmitis Diagnosis:
The eyes are examined and several tests are performed. The history of any recent surgery is also noted. If the doctor has a doubt, he will perform aqueous/vitreous tap. A tiny needle is taken and fluid from eyeball is taken and sent to laboratory for further examination.
Endophthalmitis Treatment:
Antibiotics or antifungal agents are injected into the eyes and sometimes steroid is given to reduce swelling and inflammation. If the condition is severe, virectomy surgery is done to remove debris from eyes. During the procedure vitreous gel is removed and replaced with saline or gas/oil bubble.
