Abstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to document the current practice pattern of Indian ophthalmologists for antibiotic prophylaxis in cataract surgery to prevent endophthalmitis. METHODS: Fifteen structured questions were sent online to all ophthalmologists registered with the All India Ophthalmological Society. The questionnaire was divided into three main categories of prophylaxis - preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative. A web-based anonymous survey was conducted, and a unique response link allowed completing the survey only once. We compared the results with a similar 2014 survey among the members of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS). RESULTS: The response was received from 30.2% (n = 4292/14,170) ophthalmologists. The results were as follows: all respondents do not prepare the eye with 5% povidone-iodine (83% of them use povidone iodine), majority (90%) use topical antibiotic both pre- and post-operatively, 46% use subconjunctival antibiotic at the end of surgery, and 40% use intracameral antibiotic (46% of them in high-risk patients only). Moxifloxacin was the preferred antibiotic for topical and intracameral use. Comparison with the 2014 ASCRS survey results showed a similarity in decision for pre- and post-operative antibiotics and intracameral antibiotic but dissimilarity in the choice of intracameral antibiotic and decision for subconjunctival antibiotic. CONCLUSION: The antibiotic prophylaxis practice by the Indian ophthalmologists is not too dissimilar from the practice in North American Ophthalmologists (ASCRS) though all ophthalmologists in India must be nudged to preoperative preparation of the eye with povidone-iodine and discontinue the practice of postoperative subconjunctival and systemic antibiotic.