Delayed fellow eye involvement in patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease

Optic disc edema with peripapillary serous retinal detachment as the presenting sign of necrotizing herpetic retinitis

Purpose

To describe an atypical case of necrotizing herpetic retinitis (NHR) that presented initially with mild anterior uveitis, optic disc swelling, and peripapillary serous retinal detachment (SRD).

Observations

A 48-year-old Asian Indian man presented with blurred central vision and pain in his left eye. Examination revealed mild anterior chamber inflammation, optic disc swelling, and a peripapillary SRD in the affected eye. Multimodal imaging, including widefield fluorescein angiography, showed optic disc leakage and confirmed the presence of a peripapillary SRD, but was otherwise unremarkable with no evidence of retinitis. The patient was diagnosed with presumed Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease and was treated with systemic corticosteroids. While there was objective visual improvement initially, the patient subsequently noted peripheral vision loss and was found to have peripheral necrotizing retinitis and occlusive retinal vasculitis in affected eye. Polymerase chain reaction-based testing of aqueous humor detected varicella zoster virus DNA, confirming the diagnosis of NHR.

Conclusion and importance

Optic disc edema and peripapillary SRD may precede the development of overt retinitis in some patients with NHR.

Unilateral Ocular Manifestations of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease

PURPOSE

To describe a case of unilateral Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease and associated multimodal imaging.

METHODS

Retrospective case report.

RESULTS

A 50-year-old Hispanic male presented with three days of painless decreased vision in his left eye, headache, and decreased hearing. His visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye and counting fingers in the left eye. Examination of his right eye was unremarkable. Funduscopic examination of his left eye revealed multiple serous retinal detachments. Fluorescein angiography demonstrated late multifocal pinpoint hyperfluorescence in his left eye and a diagnosis of VKH disease was made. He was treated with oral prednisone. Serial re-examination demonstrated resolution of the serous retinal detachments and a taper of his oral prednisone was initiated with improvement of his visual acuity to 20/25.

CONCLUSIONS

Our patient had imaging and a clinical course that was consistent with VKH disease. This unilateral presentation may represent a clinical variant of VKH disease.

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome - current perspectives

Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada syndrome is a cause of noninfectious panuveitis, leading to significant vision loss in many patients. It is an autoimmune disease occurring in genetically susceptible individuals and clinically presents as bilateral panuveitis with serous retinal detachments and hyperemic, swollen optic discs, which are associated with neurological and auditory manifestations. Early diagnosis and prompt and adequate treatment with immunosuppressive agents (corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs) may halt disease progression and prevent recurrences and vision loss. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the variable clinical aspects of this disease, highlighting diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Unilateral Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease: A Clinical Case Report

Purpose

To report a case of a 20-year-old female with decreased visual acuity (VA) in the left eye (LE).

Methods

This is a retrospective and descriptive case report based on data from clinical records, patient observation and analysis of diagnostic tests.

Results

A 20-year-old female presented with decreased VA in the LE for 3 days. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 in the right eye (RE) and 20/40 in the LE. Pupillary function, intraocular pressure, results of external segment examinations and slit-lamp biomicroscopy were normal, bilaterally. RE fundoscopy was normal, and in the LE it revealed papillitis and posterior pole exudative retinal detachment. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) confirmed the macular serous retinal detachment and showed thickening of the posterior choroid also revealed by orbital ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Fluorescein angiography showed angiographic features typical of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease: disseminated spotted choroidal hyperfluorescence and choroidal multifocal hypofluorescence, multifocal profuse leakage in the retina with pooling, serous retinal detachment and optic disc hyperfluorescence. Serological testing for the diagnosis of infectious pathologies was negative, and the review of systems was normal. The patient received systemic steroids and cyclosporine. LE BCVA improved up to 20/20 at 18 months after the diagnosis, with complete reabsorption of subretinal fluid and normal retinal and choroidal thickness by OCT.

Conclusion

Despite the unilateral involvement, the clinical and angiographic features were typical of VKH disease, and ophthalmologists should be aware to recognize this rare clinical variant of the disease.

Concurrent acute Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease in one eye and chronic disease in the fellow eye

Background

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is a granulomatous panuveitis, usually involving both eyes at the same time or within a few days or weeks. Acute and chronic diseases are characterized by distinct clinical features, treatment modalities, and visual outcomes. We report an atypical case of probable VKH disease, with features of acute disease in one eye and chronic disease in the fellow eye.

Findings

A 53-year-old female presented with exudative retinal detachment associated with mild vitritis in the right eye and anterior uveitis, vitritis, and sunset-glow fundus in the left eye. Based on clinical findings and results of multimodal imaging including fundus photography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and B-scan ultrasonography, a diagnosis of acute VKH disease in the right eye and chronic VKH disease in the left eye was made. The patient received systemic corticosteroids and mycophenolate mofetil. After a 15-month follow-up, the right fundus eye was normal, and there was a sunset-glow fundus in the left eye.

Conclusions

VKH disease may begin with asymptomatic unilateral ocular involvement. The patient may present only when the fellow eye is affected. A significant delay before involvement of the second eye leads to atypical features of acute disease in one eye and chronic disease in the other eye.

Presumed idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy in a 12-year-old girl

Idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) typically affects middle-aged males. To date, only one case of idiopathic CSC in a prepubertal subject has been reported. Atypical idiopathic CSC presentation may be challenging to diagnose. Exclusion of secondary causes of serous retinal detachment (SRD) is warranted. We describe the atypical case of a 12-year-old female with a circumscribed SRD that resolved spontaneously and with fluorescein angiography (FA) findings that were compatible with idiopathic CSC. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and systemic assessment were performed to exclude other etiologies. FA demonstrated multiple focal leaks in early phases, with subretinal leakage and pooling in late phases. OCT showed a localized circumscribed retinal detachment. Complete blood count was within normal limits. Serum cortisol was normal (22.1 μg/dl) and mean arterial blood pressure was 100/60 mm Hg, thereby excluding secondary causes of CSC. This is the second reported case of idiopathic CSC in a prepubertal female and the first one documented by FA and OCT, as well as other studies to exclude secondary causes. Albeit rare, idiopathic CSC should be considered in the differential diagnosis of SRD in this (prepubertal) age group, after excluding secondary ocular or systemic etiologies.