[Prophylaxis and therapy of postoperative endophthalmitis. Criticism of the ESCRS study and the Early Vitrectomy study].

Postoperative endophthalmitis often leads to a substantial loss of vision and sometimes to loss of the eye. Occasionally this results in legal disputes during which medical studies will be consulted for reaching a verdict. Both the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) study on prophylaxis and the Early Vitrectomy study on the therapy of postoperative endophthalmitis suffer from substantial deficits in essential areas. These studies cannot therefore be utilized as standard operating procedures and guidelines as well as in legal disputes.