Intraocular lenses and experimental bacterial endophthalmitis.

To determine if an intraocular lens renders bacterial endophthalmitis more resistant to therapy, an animal model was developed. Nine rabbits underwent bilateral extracapsular lens extraction with placement of a Simcoe posterior chamber IOL in one eye. Approximately 170 organisms of Staphylococcus aureus were inoculated into both eyes. The eyes of seen animals were treated with intravitreal and subconjunctival gentamicin after 24 and 48 hours. Vitreous cultures remained sterile in all treated eyes for one week after antibiotic therapy. Two animals that did not receive antibiotics showed persistent infection. There was no difference between aphakic and pseudophakic eyes in terms of clinical response or onset of negative cultures.