[Staphylococcal endophthalmitis following cataract surgery in a patient with ocular rosacea].

PURPOSE: To report staphylococcal endophthalmitis following cataract surgery in a patient with ocular rosacea.

OBSERVATION: A 69-year-old man presented with decreased visual acuity in the right eye, a corneal abscess on the incision and hypopyon 2 weeks after phacoemulsification with intraocular lens placement. The patient was hospitalized. A diagnostic vitreous tap was performed. Antibiotic therapy was initiated both locally (two intravitreal shots + topical administration) and intravenously.

RESULTS

Vitreal tap cultures indicated Staphylococcus aureus. The patient's clinical status improved 48 hours after the second intravitreal shot. The same bacterium was cultured from the patient's eyelids and incision abscess. Multilayer amniotic membrane transplantation enabled satisfactory healing of the corneal abscess, which had become perforative.

CONCLUSIONS

The source of the S. aureus was the skin lesions on the patient's eyelids. Rosacea is a skin disease that frequently affects the face, nose and eyelids. Although good surgical techniques were performed, with the incision requiring suture, the risk of endophthalmitis after intraocular surgery was increased in the absence of proper preoperative treatment of the dermatological condition.