Reduction in postoperative endophthalmitis with intracameral cefuroxime

Summary Postoperative endophthalmitis is an uncommon complication of cataract surgery with grave consequences. This report describes the trend of endophthalmitis in a district general hospital in England over eight years, and attempts made to modify this trend. An outbreak of endophthalmitis in 2007 led to a detailed investigation and subsequent changes in practice. Intracameral cefuroxime (ICC) was introduced in place of subconjunctival cefuroxime. Use of ICC in patients with ‘penicillin allergy’ was explored, found to be safe and resulted in a change of policy. This led to a four-fold reduction in the rate of endophthalmitis.