Incidence and Clinical-epidemiologic Characteristics in Patients with Traumatic Endophthalmitis

Abstract

Objective: To determine the incidence and clinical-epidemiologic characteristics in patients with traumatic endophthalmitis.

Methods: A descriptive, prospective longitudinal study was conducted with 52 eyes of patients with traumatic endophthalmitis, attended at the Vitreoretinal Service of the Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology between 2020-2023. A structured survey was used for data collection, analyzed by descriptive statistics.

Results: The cumulative incidence was 32.7 %. Male sex (78.8 %) and right eye (53.8 %) predominated, without significant differences (p = 0.678), with a median age of 48 ± 19.66. The highest frequency was at home (63.5 %), in rural environment (65.4 %) and as a result of hammering (55.8 %). Initial visual acuity was light perception in 61.5 %. Trauma with intraocular foreign body predominated (53.8 %), in zone I (67.3 %), with wounds ≤ 4mm (88.5 %). Lens disruption, retinal detachment and relative afferent pupillary defect occurred in 59.6 %, 19.2 % and 23.1 %, respectively. Primary repair ≤24 h was performed in 53.8 %, intravitreal prophylaxis was implemented in 82.7 % and systemic in 65.4 %, 67.9 % of foreign bodies were removed. Visual acuity improved to at final evaluation (p* < 0.001), between 0.1-0.4 (25.0 %), with moderate positive correlation with initial visual acuity (p = 0.008; Rho = 0.466).

Conclusions: Traumatic endophthalmitis has a high incidence, is frequent in the home and in young men. It is related to the rural environment, the presence of intraocular foreign body and lens disruption with improvement of visual acuity in the final evaluation.