Posterior scleritis

Posterior scleritis and acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy: A case of painful chorioretinitis and review of the current literature

Purpose

To describe a patient who developed concurrent acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE) and posterior scleritis.

Observations

We describe a middle-aged woman that developed eye pain and photopsia. She was found to have a “T-sign” on ultrasound of the right eye and multiple, nearly confluent, ill-defined subretinal whitish lesions in both eyes. After an extensive laboratory evaluation and neuroimaging, her photopsia, pain with eye movements, and subretinal lesions began to regress on high dose systemic corticosteroids.

Conclusions and Importance

This is the first reported case of bilateral APMPPE and concurrent posterior scleritis. Our case highlights the importance of performing a full review of systems, specifically eliciting neurological changes, and dilated eye examination in all new uveitis cases.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound in the Evaluation of the Acutely Painful Red Eye

BACKGROUND

Visual loss, ocular pain, and red eye are common presentations to front-line physicians in the emergency department, urgent care centers, or the primary care office. In recent decades, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been used by clinicians at the bedside in the evaluation and management of a vast array of patients, including those with ocular complaints.

CASE REPORT

A 33-year-old man presented to the emergency department with left eye pain for 4 weeks' duration. The physical examination revealed visual acuity of 20/400 in the affected eye and diffuse conjunctival injection with perilimbal sparing and scleral edema. Using POCUS, he was noted to have diffuse thickening of the globe wall in the symptomatic eye with a thin layer of fluid posterior to the globe in Tenon's space and mild enlargement of the optic nerve sheath diameter. He was ultimately diagnosed with posterior scleritis. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Posterior scleritis carries the potential for significant visual impairment when the diagnosis is missed or delayed. POCUS findings can aid the front-line physician in making the diagnosis of posterior scleritis allowing earlier initiation of appropriate therapy and follow-up.

Posterior Scleritis with Choroidal Effusion Secondary to Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus

PURPOSE

To describe a case of posterior scleritis with serous choroidal detachment that occurred as an acute complication of herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO).

METHODS

Retrospective case report.

RESULTS

A 75-year-old female presented with 3 days of painful, decreased vision in her left eye 1 week after being diagnosed with HZO. She had unilateral crusted vesicular lesions in the V1 dermatomal distribution and corneal pseudodendrites. Funduscopic examination demonstrated a large choroidal detachment in her left eye. B-scan ultrasonography revealed unilaterally thickened sclera consistent with posterior scleritis. She was treated with oral prednisone and a 2-week course of intravenous acyclovir. Two weeks after the initiation of treatment, her vision had improved and she demonstrated complete resolution of her pseudodendrites, posterior scleritis, and choroidal detachment.

CONCLUSIONS

Prompt recognition and treatment of this unique combination of clinical manifestations of HZO resulted in significant improvement in vision and resolution of the scleritis and choroidal detachment.