A rare case of atypical sympathetic ophthalmia post therapeutic keratoplasty

An atypical presentation of sympathetic ophthalmia following chemical ocular burns

BACKGROUND

Sympathetic ophthalmia is a rare disease that can present as bilateral granulomatous uveitis after a penetrating trauma or surgery in one eye.

FINDINGS

We report a case of a 47-year-old male with history of decreased vision in the right eye, six months after sustaining severe chemical injury in the left eye. He was diagnosed with sympathetic ophthalmia and was treated with corticosteroids and long-term immunosuppressive therapy, leading to complete resolution of intraocular inflammation. Final visual acuity was 20/30 at one year of follow up.

CONCLUSIONS

Sympathetic Ophthalmia following chemical ocular burns is extremely uncommon. It can present as a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. It warrants early diagnosis and management.

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.

Sympathetic Ophthalmia: Experience from a Tertiary Care Center in Northern India

Purpose:

To describe our clinical experience with sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) at a tertiary eye care center in north India.

Methods:

In this retrospective case series, analysis of the clinical features and visual outcomes of patients diagnosed with SO between March 2012 and March 2016 were performed.

Results:

Ten male and four female patients (median age, 15.5 years) with SO following penetrating trauma (10 patients) or ocular surgery (four patients) were included. SO developed 2 weeks to 3 years after the insult. Mean presenting visual acuity of the sympathizing eyes was 1.086 (LogMAR). Anterior chamber reaction was documented in all eyes in which it could be assessed (14 sympathizing eyes; five exciting eyes). Neurosensory detachment was seen in 10 of 14 patients (71.5%). Five patients (35.7%) were managed with oral steroids alone, whereas nine (64.3%) were treated with intravenous pulse dexamethasone followed by oral steroids. Inflammation recurred in three patients during steroid tapering, necessitating restarting of steroid therapy with or without additional immunosuppressants. At the last follow-up, all 14 patients were in remission with low-dose oral steroids; seven patients were also on immunosuppressants. At the final follow-up, 12 of 14 (85.7%) sympathizing eyes achieved 20/40 or better visual acuity and three exciting eyes achieved at least 6/24 visual acuity.

Conclusion:

Although SO is a potentially blinding disorder, early detection and individualized treatment allow most patients achieve good final visual acuity.