To report a case of macular toxicity due to gentamicin after transconjunctival 23-gauge sutureless vitrectomy with prophylactic subconjunctival gentamicin injection.

A 60-year-old female presented to our department with decreased vision in her left eye that had persisted for several months. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.5 in the left eye and she was diagnosed with epiretinal membrane and lamellar macular hole. The patient underwent transconjunctival 23-gauge sutureless vitrectomy with epiretinal membrane removal and intravitreal gas injection. Prophylactic subconjunctival gentamicin injection was given at the end of surgery. After 1 week, fundus examination of the left eye showed multiple retinal hemorrhages around inferior temporal vascular arcade. After six weeks, the patient underwent extracapsular cataract extraction with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation in the left eye. After cataract surgery, BCVA of the left eye was 0.16 and atrophic change with retinal hemorrhage of the macula was observed on fundus examination of the left eye. Fluorescein angiography revealed multiple occlusion of temporal retinal arteries and capillaries of the macula.

When a prophylactic subconjunctival drug is injected at the end of transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy, the drug can inflow into the intraocular space through sutureless sclerotomy sites and induce retinal toxicity.