Wills Study: Post-op Endophthalmitis Rates Down Fourfold Over 20-Year Period

Wills researchers, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania, determined that the incidence of endophthalmitis declined from 0.2% in 2000 to 0.05% in 2022, and the rate of prompt vitrectomy decreased from 48.5% in 2003 to 11.7% in 2021.

Surgeries involving glaucoma procedures conferred the highest risk for endophthalmitis in the analysis. The lowest rate of endophthalmitis across all procedures in their analysis was found after intravitreal injections. The total number of these injections increased significantly, representing approximately 0% and 6.7% of all procedures performed in 2002 and 2022, respectively. Additionally, the rate of post-injection endophthalmitis decreased from 1.45% in 2002 to 0.04% in 2022. The overall rate of post-cataract endophthalmitis was 0.08%.

Click here to read the article in Review of Optometry.

Results of the study first appeared in JAMA Ophthalmology.