Prevention and Treatment of Bacterial Endophthalmitis After Cataract Surgery

Postoperative endophthalmitis is a rare but devastating complication of cataract surgery, and requires rapid and effective treatment when it is diagnosed. Today, although improved sterilization conditions and antibiotic prophylaxis reduce the incidence of endophthalmitis, the amount of endophthalmitis hasn%u2019t decreased due to the increasing number of intraocular surgery. The most essential rule for fight with endophthalmitis is to prevent. From the preparation of the patient to staff training, sterilization of surgical instruments, close follow up of high risk patients and postoperative prophylaxis should be considered as a whole. Prophylactic treatment of blepharitis, conjunctivitis and dacryocystitis, cleaning of skin and conjunctiva with an antiseptic solution such as povidone iodine and to use a drape for covering eyebrows and eyelashes reduce the risk of endophthalmitis. Antibiotic prophylaxis during surgery is applied as an introduction in irrigation fluid, subconjunctival and intracameral. The most effective methods are subconjunctival or intracameral antibiotics application. Intravitreal, subconjunctival and topical fortified antibiotic therapy should be initiated as include all possible microbial agents in patients with clinical diagnosis of endophthalmitis until culture results. Systemic use of antibiotics is controversial, but it may be added to treatment in order to control of extraocular spread