BACKGROUND: To study the epidemiology of patients with endogenous endophthalmitis in Denmark.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective and prospective case series of 59 eyes in patients with endogenous endophthalmitis in Denmark between 2000 and 2016.

RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged from 28 to 90 years with a median of 66 years. Sixty-two percent of the eyes had a final VA (visual acuity) ≤ 0.1 while 8% had a final VA ≥ 1.0. Positive cultures were obtained in 51% of the cases from the blood and in 43% from the vitreous. Streptococcus species and Staphylococcus aureus were the most commonly identified microorganisms. The sources of endogenous endophthalmitis were diverse and were not identified in 36% of the patients. Diabetes (36%) was the most predisposing medical illness. A total of 15% of the patients died within the first year after surgery for endophthalmitis and half of the patients died during follow up. The mortality of patients was 22.6 times higher compared to a Danish background population. Culture positive patients had a higher mortality compared to culture negative patients.

CONCLUSIONS: Endogenous endophthalmitis is a heterogeneous condition which is reflected in the age, the visual outcome and the mortality of the patients. The epidemiology of the disease is very different in Scandinavia compared to Asia. The visual prognosis remains grave and the majority of the eyes lose useful vision.