Rare causes of endophthalmitis

Endophthalmitis is a potentially devastating disease that requires aggressive management. While endogenous and exogenous endophthalmitis both remain uncommon, a great deal has been written about their management. However, most current knowledge is based on experience with the most common forms of endophthalmitis: (1) postoperative cases due to coagulase-negative Staph, Staph aureus, and Strep pneumoniae; and (2) endogenous cases due to nongroup B Strep, Staph species, Candida species, and other fungi. Cases that are unusual in terms of their presentation and/or their causes do occur, and the physician caring for a patient with endophthalmitis should be aware of these forms of endophthalmitis to aid in making the correct diagnosis and applying any treatments that have been reported to be effective. We believe that further studies will aid in the recognition and treatment of many of the unusual forms of endophthalmitis and hope that in the future patients afflicted with these difficult problems will enjoy better prognoses.