Endogenous Endophthalmitis in COVID-19 Patients: A Case Series and Literature Review

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To report outcomes in cases of endogenous endophthalmitis (EE) following COVID-19 infection.

Material and methods

In a retrospective study, patients with EE, who had a recent history of COVID-19 infection requiring hospital admission were recruited. Necessary demographic details, details of ocular examination, and microbiological details were collected.

Results

 Six patients (10 eyes), with a mean age of 48 + 19.80 years were included. The mean duration of onset of ocular symptoms from the time of diagnosis of COVID was 28.16 + 16.15 days. 8 eyes required surgical intervention, whereas 2 eyes were managed conservatively. Three patients were positive for Candida albicans, two patients were positive for Aspergillus fumigatus, and one patient was a presumed bacterial EE. The majority of the eyes had favorable functional and anatomical outcomes during the post-operative period.

Conclusion

High-dose corticosteroid therapy in the management of moderate and severe COVID-19 infection may be associated with EE, predominantly fungal.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.