Editor,—The coexistence of endophthalmitis and orbital cellulitis in one individual is often a result of endogenous complications, such as metastatic septicaemia or infiltration from a neighbouring orbital infection.1-3 However, the coexistence of both these diseases as complications following intraocular or extraocular surgery is very rarely recognised and has only been reported previously in two patients who underwent radial keratotomy and penetrating keratoplasty.34 We report a patient who underwent uncomplicated phacoemulsification surgery under sub-Tenon anaesthesia and presented with an acute endophthalmitis and orbital cellulitis, leading to phthisis bulbi despite a good response to prompt treatment.