Question

Endophthalmitis involves inflammation of all of the following, except:

• A. Sclera
• B. Uvea
• C. Retina
• D. Vitreous

Hint:

Once the outer white coat is involved, the term changes to panophthalmitis.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The trick in this question is the precise meaning of endophthalmitis versus panophthalmitis. Endophthalmitis is inflammation confined to the inner chambers and tissues of the globe, typically driven by infection that has reached inside the eye. That means the inflammation hits the vitreous gel, the aqueous, the uveal tract, and the neighbouring retina, all of which are intraocular structures. The sclera, however, is the tough white outer shell of the eyeball, an outer coat rather than an inner content. When the inflammatory process spreads outward to take in the sclera and the tissues around the eye, doctors no longer call it endophthalmitis; they call it panophthalmitis, which signals a far more severe, all-coat involvement. So among the listed structures, the uvea, retina, and vitreous all participate in endophthalmitis, but the sclera does not. The structure NOT involved in endophthalmitis is therefore the sclera. \[\boxed{\text{Sclera}}\]