Bilateral hearing impairment as the initial symptom of sympathetic ophthalmia

Sympathetic ophthalmia: Report of a case series and comprehensive review of the literature

PURPOSE

To evaluate the factors related to sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) in a series of patients in our ophthalmology center and previously published cases.

METHODS

A retrospective and noncomparative review was performed on 16 patients with SO attending our ophthalmology center from 2013 to 2019. A total of 87 previously published cases of SO were identified by searching the Medline database from 2009 to 2019.

RESULTS

Sixteen patients were included in the analysis, and six cases were induced by transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (TCP). All patients had achieved controlled inflammation at their last follow-up visit. Thirteen patients (81.3%) had improved best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). A review of the literature revealed 87 previously reported cases of SO. Shared clinical features and treatment outcomes were summarized.

CONCLUSION

Ocular therapies, including both penetrating ocular therapy and non-penetrating ocular intervention, have become increasingly prevalent risk factors for SO, and the latent period has increased compared to past reports. Visual prognosis with appropriate medical management is relatively good.

Early Recovery of Sympathetic Ophthalmia with Hearing Loss in a Young Man

Hearing loss is rarely associated with sympathetic ophthalmia. We describe a young man who presented with sympathetic ophthalmia and concurrent hearing loss one month post globe rupture. The presentation was very subtle and atypical. However, the patient recovered fully after two weeks of prompt oral corticosteroid therapy which resulted in good visual and hearing outcomes. This patient demonstrated that the acute phase of sympathetic ophthalmia is reversible with early recognition of features, timely diagnosis, and rapid initiation of corticosteroid therapy.