Blood-borne Candida Endophthalmitis

Candidemia may be followed by hematogenousCandidaendophthalmitis. Six clinical cases and 15 postmortem cases in which focal retinal or chorioretinal lesions developed following candidemia are presented. Common clinical features include a history of gastrointestinal or biliary tract disease, recent surgery, prolonged use of intravenous catheters, recent bacterial sepsis, and intensive treatment with systemically administered antibiotics. Early treatment with antifungal drugs appears efficacious. It is proposed that a search for intraocular lesions be performed in every patient with candidemia and that discovery of such a lesion be a strong indication for treatment with amphotericin B.