title: Ocular candidiasis: a review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the epidemiology, diagnosis and changing treatment paradigm of ocular candidiasis, and report current prevalence rates and risk factors at one inpatient hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review; systematic literature review.
  
  
  METHODS
  All Wills Eye Institute inpatient ophthalmology consultations from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed between June 2006 and November 2006. All consultations for candidaemia were included. The outcome variables included chorioretinitis, endophthalmitis, visual symptoms and Candida speciation. The ophthalmic literature was reviewed using PubMed. Keywords included Candida, candidaemia, chorioretinitis, vitritis and endophthalmitis. Bibliographies were manually searched.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three of the 38 consultations for candidaemia (7.9%) had chorioretinitis. There were no cases of vitritis or endophthalmitis. The presence of symptoms, or the inability to articulate symptoms, was significantly associated with risk of ocular candidiasis (p = 0.003). All three cases of chorioretinitis had positive blood cultures for Candida albicans (p = 0.089) and were treated with oral fluconazole.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Various factors have led to the increasing prevalence of inpatient candidaemia. Risk factors for ocular involvement include albicans species and the presence of, or inability to articulate, visual symptoms. For those without abnormal findings on initial examination, a subsequent retinal examination should be performed in 2 weeks, particularly if new symptoms develop or if the patient is unable to relay symptoms. Patients with chorioretinitis should be treated with systemic antifungal agents. For those with vitritis or endophthalmitis, particularly if worsening on systemic therapy alone, intravitreal antifungal medications or early vitrectomy should be considered.
authors: Wills Eye Institute, 840 Walnut Street, Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. cshah@post.harvard.edu
authors: C P
authors: CP
authors: Shah
authors: J
authors: J
authors: McKey
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Spirn
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Maguire
mesh_terms: D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D002825:Chorioretinitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015821:Eye Infections, Fungal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015143:Philadelphia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors