What It Is
Endophthalmitis is a serious infection affecting the inside of the eye, involving the fluid-filled cavities within the eyeball itself, rather than just its outer surface.
How It Develops
Endophthalmitis most commonly occurs when bacteria or, less commonly, fungi enter the inside of the eye, which can happen following eye surgery, a penetrating eye injury, or, less commonly, when an infection elsewhere in the body spreads to the eye through the bloodstream. Because the inside of the eye is normally a sterile environment, an infection there can progress quickly and cause significant damage if not treated promptly.
General Symptoms
Common symptoms of endophthalmitis include significant eye pain, redness, blurred or rapidly worsening vision, and swelling of the eyelids. Symptoms often develop relatively quickly, particularly in cases following surgery or injury, which is part of why prompt recognition is important.
General Treatment Approaches
Endophthalmitis is generally treated as a medical emergency, given how quickly it can threaten vision. Treatment typically involves antibiotic or antifungal medication injected directly into the eye to address the infection as directly and quickly as possible, and in more severe cases, a surgical procedure to remove infected fluid from within the eye may also be performed.
Background
Endophthalmitis has been recognized as a serious complication of eye surgery and injury since early ophthalmic surgery began being performed, and understanding of its infectious basis developed alongside the broader growth of microbiology in the 19th century. Modern sterile surgical techniques have made endophthalmitis following surgery considerably less common than it once was, though it remains a serious condition requiring rapid treatment whenever it does occur.