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Fluoroquinolone use reduces endophthalmitis risk after cataract surgery
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Use of a fluoroquinolone antibiotic after cataract surgery was associated with a reduced rate of endophthalmitis, according to a large study.
“In contrast, endophthalmitis was more likely to occur if timolol was used at the end of the procedure,” the study authors said.
The retrospective case-control study included 75,318 eyes that underwent cataract surgery performed by 26 surgeons at four public hospitals and five surgical centers.
Twenty-three cases of postoperative endophthalmitis were identified, for an overall 8-year incidence of 0.03%.
The incidence of endophthalmitis varied between surgeons, from 0% to 0.2%.
Sixty-seven percent of procedures were performed at a single hospital. The rate of endophthalmitis did not vary when statistics for hospitals and surgery centers were grouped together. However, one surgical facility had a significantly greater rate of endophthalmitis than the others (P = .046.).
The odds of endophthalmitis were significantly reduced when a second-generation fluoroquinolone (P = .02) or fourth-generation fluoroquinolone (P = .008) was used.
The use of timolol was associated with significantly greater odds of endophthalmitis (P = .0002).
Use of intracameral or subconjunctival antibiotics did not affect the rate of endophthalmitis. However, use of moxifloxacin correlated with a lower rate (P = .029).
Disclosure: The study authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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