Ecologic effects on eye banking.

PURPOSE: To examine the climatic conditions at corneal donation for microbial categories of postkeratoplasty endophthalmitis that have been reported to a national surveillance registry.

DESIGN

Retrospective case-control study.

METHODS

Local weather information on the date of donor corneal procurement was tabulated for reported cases of endophthalmitis after penetrating keratoplasty and then compared between candidal endophthalmitis and postsurgical endophthalmitis that yielded bacteria or no microorganisms or that were not cultured.

RESULTS

Compared with other postkeratoplasty endophthalmitis, candidal endophthalmitis after corneal transplantation occurred significantly (P < .001) more often when outdoor afternoon temperatures exceeded 75 F at the source eye bank than on cooler days.

CONCLUSION

Higher exterior temperatures at donation may be associated with an increased relative risk of candidal transmission by keratoplasty, but a chain of causation that links the donor's environment to the recipient's infection remains to be elucidated.