Endophthalmitis after Cataract Surgery in Korea: A Nationwide Study Evaluating Incidence and Risk Factors in a Korean Population

To assess the nationwide rate of acute postoperative endophthalmitis (APE) after cataract extraction in Korea and to evaluate potential risk factors thereof. Materials and Methods: Nationwide insurance claims data from July 2014 to June 2017 were reviewed. All patients with phacoemulsification or extracapsular/intracapsular cataract extraction were included. Exclusion criteria were combined glaucoma surgery or total vitrectomy or when the patient had a history of intraocular foreign body. Results: In total, 1505103 cases (982203 patients) were included. APE developed in 953 cases (938 patients) with an overall incidence of 0.063%. After adjusting for possible confounding factors, male sex [odds ratio (OR) 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-1.61; p<0.001], primary clinical setting, operations performed in non-major cities, usage of sutures (OR 2.82; 95% CI 2.13-3.74; p<0.001), anterior vitrectomy (OR 8.71; 95% CI 6.71-11.32; p<0.001), aphakic cataract surgery (OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.03-2.22; p= 0.033), hypertension (OR 1.40; 95% CI 1.18-1.66; p<0.001), diabetes (OR 1.59; 95% CI 1.31-1.93; p<0.001), and chronic renal failure (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.01-1.62; p=0.039) were found to be related to APE development.