Purpose: Anterior uveitis is the most common ocular manifestation of sarcoidosis. Ocular involvement affects approximately 30-60% of patients with systemic sarcoidosis; however, optic disc edema is a rare event. We report a patient who presented with a rare case of sarcoidosis with neuro-ophthalmic manifestations.
Case report: A 22-year-old man was referred to our clinic with the primary complaint of a visual field defect over the temporal side of his right eye of 2 months duration. He did not have a history of systemic disease. At the first ophthalmic examination, the visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and slit lamp examination were normal. The fundus examination revealed bilateral optic disc edema. He was initially suspected of having a choroidal lesion between the disc and fovea of the right eye. To evaluate the possible lesion, the patient underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), chest radiography, and chest computed tomography (CT). There were no abnormalities on the brain MRI, but the chest radiographs and CT images revealed bilateral mediastinal and hilar lymphadenomegaly. Histopathologic evaluation of an ultrasound-guided lymph node biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.
Conclusion: Neuro-ophthalmic manifestations of sarcoidosis are rare but may be the only presenting sign of an otherwise occult disease. A high clinical suspicion for sarcoidosis and its inclusion as a differential diagnosis are key to establishing the diagnosis and proper treatment.
Keywords: biopsy; optic disc edema; sarcoidosis.