Rapidly blinding posterior tubercular uveitis.

Manisha Agarwal,Vivek Jha,Jyotirmay Biswas

doi:10.1186/1869-5760-4-13

Abstract

BackgroundA 21-year-old female patient had chorioretinitis in the left eye which relapsed while being on anti-tubercular treatment and oral corticosteroids leading to blindness and the loss of the left eye.FindingsMycobacterium tuberculosis causing chorioretinitis showed a poor response, and the lung lesions showed a good response to the same anti-tubercular treatment.ConclusionsMycobacterium tubercle bacilli in the eye may show a poor response to the anti-tubercular drugs due to poor ocular penetration of the drugs secondary to early ocular hypoxia.

Highlights

A 21-year-old female patient had chorioretinitis in the left eye which relapsed while being on anti-tubercular treatment and oral corticosteroids leading to blindness and the loss of the left eye
We report a case of pulmonary and intraocular tuberculosis which showed a good response to the anti-tubercular drugs in the lungs but not in the eye leading to a blinding posterior tubercular uveitis
Fundus examination of the right eye was normal, and the left eye showed a granuloma on the optic nerve head (ONH) with perivascular sheathing and chorioretinitis patch with overlying retinal hemorrhages in the macula (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

A 21-year-old female patient had chorioretinitis in the left eye which relapsed while being on anti-tubercular treatment and oral corticosteroids leading to blindness and the loss of the left eye. We report a case of pulmonary and intraocular tuberculosis which showed a good response to the anti-tubercular drugs in the lungs but not in the eye leading to a blinding posterior tubercular uveitis. Fundus examination of the right eye was normal, and the left eye showed a granuloma on the optic nerve head (ONH) with perivascular sheathing and chorioretinitis patch with overlying retinal hemorrhages in the macula (Figure 1).

Results

Conclusion