Ocular toxicity after intracameral injection of very high doses of cefuroxime during cataract surgery.

PURPOSE To report cases of intraocular inflammation after intracameral injection of a very high dose of cefuroxime at the end of uneventful cataract surgery. SETTING Department of Ophthalmology, Bordeaux University Hospital, Bordeaux, France. DESIGN Case series. METHODS Patients were followed on an outpatient basis and were examined postoperatively at 1 and 5 days and 6 weeks. Central macular thickness, angiography, central corneal thickness (CCT), endothelial cell density (ECD), and electroretinography (ERG) were analyzed to evaluate ocular toxicity. RESULTS One day postoperatively, the mean corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was 0.95 logMAR ± 0.40 (SD). All the cases had moderate anterior inflammation. Retinal optical coherence tomography scans systematically showed extensive macular edema (mean 843.2 ± 212.7 μm) associated with a large serous retinal detachment. Fluorescein angiograms showed diffuse leakage without abnormal retinal perfusion. At 5 days, the mean CDVA improved significantly to 0.52 ± 0.29 logMAR (P < .005), as did the macular edema and serous retinal detachment (mean 339.4 ± 138.3 μm) (P = .005). At 6 weeks, the mean CDVA reached 0.09 ± 0.06 logMAR. Modifications in CCT and ECD were similar to those observed after uneventful phacoemulsification. The macular thickness (mean 288.4 ± 22.6 μm) and profile returned to normal in all patients, although ERG recordings showed reduced rod photoreceptor cell function (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Intracameral injection of high doses of cefuroxime induced anterior and posterior inflammation. Without surgical intervention, the final visual outcome was satisfactory in all cases. Long-term retinal function, however, must be assessed through repeated ERG recordings.