Masks help lower the spread of disease, but a recently published paper pointed out that the “constant circulation of air around the wearer’s eye by a mask can enhance the chance of infections leading to endophthalmitis.” This was confirmed in the retrospective study. The multicenter study examined the incidence and causative pathogens of these endophthalmitis cases. Patients who had undergone vitrectomy pre-COVID and during the one-year mandated mask-wearing period during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. The researchers reported a significantly lower incidence of endophthalmitis pre-COVID compared with the mask period. Of the pre-COVID infections, 22 percent were culture positive, all of the Staphylococcus family. Read More