Disease quiescence in endophthalmitis patients treated with anti-VEGF injections for retinal pathologies

TL;DR

This study shows that some patients with eye infections after anti-VEGF injections can recover vision and experience disease quiescence over two years.

Contribution

The study reveals that disease quiescence after endophthalmitis is not limited to NVAMD but also occurs in myopic CNV and RVO cases.

Findings

Median BCVA returned to near-baseline levels 24 months after endophthalmitis.

Disease quiescence was observed in NVAMD, myopic CNV, and RVO cases.

Some patients did not require further anti-VEGF injections after endophthalmitis.

Abstract

The most feared complication of intravitreal injections is the development of endophthalmitis, which could lead to irreversible visual loss. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical profiles, causative pathogens, and clinical outcome of patients post-endophthalmitis.

Retrospective, single center case series study. Clinical records, causative pathogens and management of all cases of endophthalmitis post intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections recorded between January 1st, 2006 and May 30th, 2022; were retrieved. The visual and anatomic changes prior to the episode of endophthalmitis and up to 2 years post-treatment were compared.

Eleven post-injection endophthalmitis eyes of 10 patients (n = 3 females; 30%) were recruited at mean age of 64.5 ± 20.4 years. The median last recorded BCVA, up to 3 months prior to the episode of endophthalmitis was 60 (Interquartile range (IQR) 55–75) ETDRS letters. Then, it dropped to 30 (IQR 0-57.5), 35 (IQR 0-52.5) and 35 (IQR 0-57.5) ETDRS letters at presentation, 6- and 12-months follow-up; respectively (p = 0.027, p = 0.017 and p = 0.012). However, at 24 months, the median BCVA returned to similar baseline values prior to the episode of endophthalmitis; BCVA 50 (IQR 0–60) ETDRS letters, p = 0.062. Interestingly, two eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD), 1 with myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and 1 with retinal vein occlusion (RVO), experienced disease quiescence and did not require additional anti-VEGF injections up to 2 years of follow-up.

This study demonstrates long-term recovery of vision loss due to endophthalmitis post anti-VEGF injections, regained up to 2 years later. It also indicates that disease quiescence post endophthalmitis may not only occur in eyes treated for NVAMD, but also with myopic CNV and RVO.

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