The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of stopping prophylactic oral antibiotic administration after cataract surgery. We retrospectively analyzed 205 eyes that underwent cataract surgery from May 2012 to November 2012 at the Tokyo Teishin Hospital. A clinical pathway involving phacoemulsification cataract surgery was followed in all cases. Until July 2012, this clinical pathway included administration of cefdinir capsules as a prophylactic oral antibiotic for 4 days after surgery; thereafter, administration of these antibiotics was stopped. One hundred and two patients received cefdinir capsules and 103 patients did not receive them. The backgrounds of patients in both these groups were almost the same and their clinical pathways remained unchanged except for the discontinuation of oral antibiotic administration. None of the cases showed any postoperative endophthalmitis. Even after the cessation of cefdinir administration, no increase in the incidence of the endophthalmitis was observed. Moreover, medical expenses and adverse events involving the digestive system were reduced. Therefore, our findings suggest that the administration of prophylactic oral antibiotics is not necessary in the clinical pathway for cataract surgery.
