Areas of uncertainty in endophthalmitis care

Table 2 Key differences between Endophthalmitis Vitrectomy Study and Complete Early Vitrectomy for Endophthalmitis

Domain	EVS	CEVE
Ref.	Chen et al[10], 2021	Dib et al[3], 2020
Study design	Prospective, randomized multicenter trial	Retrospective cohort/treatment paradigm
Era and technology	20-gauge vitrectomy, limited visualization	Small-gauge, wide-angle, high-cut-rate vitrectomy
Primary trigger for vitrectomy	Presenting visual acuity (LP vs HM or better)	Fundus visibility and disease severity
Timing of surgery	Immediate vitrectomy is mainly for LP eyes	Early vitrectomy when the posterior view is obscured
Extent of vitrectomy	Core vitrectomy; no routine PVD induction	Maximal safe vitrectomy; cortical purulence removal
Treatment philosophy	Conservative, protocol-driven thresholds	Proactive, low threshold for surgery and retreatment
Outcome interpretation	The benefit is limited to the LP subgroup	Favourable outcomes reported across the wider VA spectrum
Generalizability today	Foundational but era-specific	Reflects contemporary surgical capability

EVS: Endophthalmitis Vitrectomy Study; CEVE: Complete Early Vitrectomy for Endophthalmitis; LP: Light perception; HM: Hand movements; PVD: Posterior vitreous detachment; VA: Visual acuity.