Purpose: Conjunctival discharge is a common complaint among patients treated for retinoblastoma who underwent enucleation and radiotherapy. Lack of data about the microflora in those patients motivated this study. Methods: One hundred and fourteen orbits of 58 patients were examined. The authors present the results of aerobic bacterial and fungal culture of conjunctival and eyelid margin smears, as well as conjunctival cytology, in 4 different conditions: with and without enucleation, with and without radiation. Microorganisms were identified according to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards, using Gram and Leishman staining. Results: Microorganisms were more frequent in irradiated anophthalmic sockets, both in the conjunctiva (54.5%) and eyelid margin (63.6%); however the difference was not statistically significant. On the other hand, in orbits with ocular bulbi, the radiation, in the late phase, represented a limiting factor for the presence of microorganims in the conjunctiva and eyelid margin, but without a statistically significant difference. The coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was the most frequent microorganism in the conjunctiva and eyelid margin in all groups. There was fungus growth, Candida tropicalis, in only one case. Conclusions: Topical antibiotics in patients treated for retinoblastoma who underwent enucleation, with or without radiotherapy, are suggested.
Eye; Conjunctiva; Anophthalmia; Retinoblastoma; Bacterial eye infections; Eye enucleation; Staphylococcus; Candida
