Using Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography to Monitor Disease Progression in Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis.

We report two cases of peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) imaged with anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). The first patient had prolonged nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, while the second had inflammatory arthritis by laboratory findings without any systemic findings as well as possible concurrent tuberculosis. In both patients, AS-OCT demonstrated corneal thinning at the onset of the disease with improvement six months after initiation of intensive medical therapy. Our cases highlight the need for a multidisciplinary approach and careful monitoring in PUK cases, especially with objective measures such as corneal thickness assessed with AS-OCT.

Chikungunya Virus Infection Manifesting as Intermediate Uveitis.

PURPOSE: To describe a case of intermediate uveitis caused by chikungunya virus infection in the Western Hemisphere. METHODS: Case report of a patient diagnosed with chikungunya infection presenting with blurry vision and floaters. RESULTS: Exam revealed a unilateral intermediate uveitis, with an extensive work-up positive for chikungunya virus immunoglobulin M and G titers. The patient responded to oral corticosteroids with signs and symptoms resolving over the course of 3 months' treatment. CONCLUSIONS: While anterior uveitis and retinitis are the most common ocular manifestations of chikungunya infection, we report here a case of chikungunya infection presenting as an intermediate uveitis, responding well to oral corticosteroids. This case demonstrates the varied presentation of chikungunya-related uveitis and highlights its consideration in the differential diagnoses of those who have had preceding systemic viral symptoms and uveitis.

Evaluating Structural Progression of Retinitis Pigmentosa After Cataract Surgery.

PURPOSE: To determine whether cataract surgery accelerates disease progression in retinitis pigmentosa (RP). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Seventy eyes of 40 patients with RP were categorized as having had phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation vs no cataract surgery at a single tertiary-level institution. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) was used to measure the ellipsoid zone (EZ) width, which has been demonstrated to be a reliable marker of RP severity, at baseline and throughout follow-up (median 768 days). RP progression was calculated as the loss of EZ width over time for all patients. Additional postoperative data were collected for the cataract surgery group, including preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity, incidence of macular edema, posterior capsular opacification, epiretinal membrane, and intraocular lens subluxation. RESULTS: Multivariable analysis including age, baseline EZ width, mode of inheritance, and cataract surgery status showed that there was no significant difference in RP progression between the cataract surgery and control groups (P = .23). Mode of inheritance was associated with RP progression, with autosomal recessive RP progressing at 148 µm/year and autosomal dominant RP progressing at 91 µm/year (P = .003). Visual acuity improved in almost all eyes that underwent surgery (17/19, 89%) and remained stable in remaining eyes (2/19, 11%). There was a high incidence of postsurgical posterior capsular opacification (18/19, 95%). There were no serious complications, such as lens subluxation or endophthalmitis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that cataract surgery is a safe and effective means of improving visual acuity in RP patients and that it does not seem to be associated with faster disease progression as measured using SDOCT.

Choroidal metastases of choriocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: We present here a patient with choroidal metastases of choriocarcinoma; her clinical and pathologic findings are described. METHODS: Retrospective case study with fundus photographs. A 23-year-old woman presented with a dense vitritis, retinal detachment, and underlying chorioretinal lesions. Systemic workup revealed choriocarcinoma with disseminated metastases. RESULTS: This patient's underlying malignancy was unrecognized at initial presentation to ophthalmology. This case reaffirms the importance of thorough systemic investigation for atypical intraocular lesions. CONCLUSION: Adult intraocular neoplasms are most commonly metastases from distal primary malignancies. The same holds true for uveal malignancies. In many uveal malignancies, the intraocular lesion is a harbinger for an, as yet, undiscovered underlying systemic malignancy.

A typical bilateral Toxoplasma retinochoroiditis in a bone marrow transplant patient with negative serum titers.

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma retinochoroiditis can have an atypical presentation and be difficult to diagnose in immunocompromised patients. Accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment is important since the disease can be aggressive in these patients. This paper is a case report with literature review, emphasizing on the diagnosis and treatment of Toxoplasma retinochoroiditis. FINDINGS: A 27-year-old male with chronic myelogenous leukemia with history of bone marrow transplantation presented with floaters in his right eye. Fundus exam showed bilateral, multifocal retinochoroiditis with subsequent development of a mild vitritis. Serum cytomegalovirus and toxoplasmosis antibody titers and syphilis screen were negative. Aqueous polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed the presence of Toxoplasma gondii DNA OU. Clindamycin (1.0 mg/0.1 mL) was injected bilateral intravitreal OU twice at 4 days apart with subsequent resolution of retinochoroiditis. CONCLUSIONS: When evaluating retinochoroiditis in an immunocompromised patient, one must keep a high index of suspicion for atypical presentations of well-known disease entities. Aqueous and vitreous samples for PCR can be useful in obtaining an accurate diagnosis and therefore provide appropriate management for the patient. Intravitreal clindamycin is an option for treatment in these patients.