Background: Patients with dacryocystitis should be treated for their infection by endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (EN-DCR) before any intraocular surgery. However, there is no unified standard for the specific time interval between the two surgeries. This study aimed to determine the appropriate interval for intraocular surgery in patients with previous EN-DCR for chronic dacryocystitis.

Methods: The medical files of all patients who underwent intraocular surgery after EN-DCR surgery in our hospital from 2016 to 2019 were reviewed. The EN-DCR data of patients undergoing intraocular surgery at different time intervals and the incidence of endophthalmitis after intraocular surgery were compared.

Results: A total of 116 patients (92 females and 24 males, mean age 64.06±7.78 years) underwent EN-DCR and intraocular surgery met the inclusion criteria. The interval between EN-DCR and intraocular surgery varied from 5–475 days. The number of patients undergoing cataract surgery after EN-DCR is the largest (75, 64.7%). All patients (100%) who had previously undergone EN-DCR did not develop endophthalmitis infection after intraocular surgery at a follow-up of 12 months.

Conclusions: For patients with dacryocystitis who have undergone EN-DCR surgery, there is no time limit when choosing the timing of intraocular surgery. For patients requiring intraocular surgery, operation can be arranged as soon as possible to solve their problems as long as the patients had patency on lacrimal passage irrigation and no secretions.