Syphilitic outer retinopathy

Ocul Immunol Inflamm. 2014 Feb;22(1):4-8. doi: 10.3109/09273948.2013.841960. Epub 2013 Oct 30.

Abstract

Purpose: To present ocular syphilis masquerading as an outer retinopathy.

Methods: Retrospective case series, including 2 patients with features of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) complex diseases.

Results: Laboratory results confirmed the diagnosis of syphilis in the 2 cases. Therapy with intravenous penicillin led to an improvement in symptoms, visual acuity, and ancillary testing.

Conclusions: The protean ophthalmic presentations of syphilis are well known. However, AZOOR-like presentation has not been described previously. This atypical outer retinopathy should alert physicians to keep syphilis in the differential diagnosis of any inflammatory disorder.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Electroretinography
  • Eye Infections, Bacterial / diagnosis*
  • Eye Infections, Bacterial / drug therapy
  • Glucocorticoids / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Penicillin G / therapeutic use
  • Prednisone / therapeutic use
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Scotoma / diagnosis*
  • Scotoma / drug therapy
  • Syphilis / diagnosis*
  • Syphilis / drug therapy
  • Tomography, Optical Coherence
  • Visual Acuity
  • Visual Fields
  • White Dot Syndromes

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Glucocorticoids
  • Penicillin G
  • Prednisone

Supplementary concepts

  • Acute zonal occult outer retinopathy