ScienceDaily (Mar. 2, 2009) — A large study by Canadian researchers has found that endophthalmitis, a serious infection of the inner eye, continues to be rare following cataract surgery.

Because surgical techniques and patient selection criteria have evolved rapidly in the past several years, the researchers wanted to learn whether infection risks were changing as a result. The largest previous study, completed in 2001 using records of half-million United States Medicare cataract patients, had documented very low infection rates.

Chaim M. Bell, MD, PhD, and Wendy Hatch OD, MSc, University of Toronto, Canada, and their colleagues reviewed records for more than 440,000 consecutive cataract surgeries performed in surgical facilities in Ontario, Canada, between April 2002 and March 2006. Facilities where more than 50 cataract surgeries were performed annually were included. To estimate infection rates, the study tracked post-operative procedures to treat suspected infections that occurred within 14 days of cataract surgery.

The overall rate of suspected acute endophthalmitis was very low: 1.4 per 1,000 surgeries. Patients who required procedures to correct ruptures of their lens capsule, the structure that contains the eye's lens, during their cataract surgery were about 10 times more likely to develop suspected infection, but fewer than 1 in 200 sustained such a rupture.

The highest rate of suspected endophthalmitis occurred in patients over age 85 (2.18 per 1,000). Men were at somewhat higher risk than women (1.7 vs. 1.19 per 1,000). No differences in rates were found between patients living in rural vs. non-rural settings, nor were differences noted among socioeconomic groups.

No upward or downward trend in suspected endophthalmitis related to cataract surgery was evident during the study period.

The research was published in the March issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Related Stories

Skin Moles May Indicate Higher Eye Melanoma Risk (Mar. 3, 2009) — It is well known that people with light skin and numerous moles and freckles -- which develop when skin is over-exposed to UV light -- are at higher risk for skin cancer (cutaneous melanoma). But the ...  > read more

Moles And Melanoma: Genetic Links To Skin Cancer Found (July 19, 2009) — Research shows the genetic connection between moles and melanoma -- and why the more moles a person has, the more susceptible they are to the disease. Researchers found a clear link between some ...  > read more

DNA Repair Capacity Identified Those at High Risk for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer (Oct. 9, 2010) — DNA repair capacity measurements effectively identified individuals who were at high risk for non-melanoma skin cancer, and may be a useful method to evaluate the efficacy of preventive therapies, ...  > read more

Novel Genetic Mutation That Causes the Most Common Form of Eye Cancer Discovered (Nov. 18, 2010) — A new study has revealed the discovery of a novel oncogene that is associated with uveal melanoma, the most common form of eye ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily