Cutting-edge issues in sympathetic ophthalmia approach and six case reports: a T cell-mediated autoimmune response.

Sympathetic ophthalmia is a rare and potentially devastating bilateral diffuse granulomatous panuveitis. It is caused by surgical or non-surgical eye injuries and is an uncommon and serious complication of trauma. It is diagnosed clinically and supported by imaging examinations such as ocular ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography. Its treatment consists of immunosuppressive therapy with steroids and sometimes steroid-sparing drugs, such as cyclosporine, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, and mycophenolate mofetil. Fast and effective management with systemic immunosuppressive agents allows for disease control and achievement of good visual acuity in the sympathizing eye. By contrast, enucleation should be considered only in situations where the injured eye has no light perception or in the presence of severe trauma. In addition to a bibliographic review of this topic, we report six cases involving different immunosuppressive and surgical treatment modalities.

Long-term clinical outcomes of patients with sympathetic ophthalmia.

PURPOSE: To present the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with sympathetic ophthalmia (SO). METHODS: Retrospective review of patients' medical files between 2002 and 2022. RESULTS: Included were seven patients (four males). The mean ± SD age at presentation was 37.9 ± 22.5 years. Four patients had co-morbidities: three had diabetes mellitus type 2 and one had Turner Syndrome. Trauma was the inciting event in six patients and postoperative endophthalmitis in one patient. Decreased visual acuity (VA) was the leading symptom in the sympathizing eye and all of the patients presented with panuveitis. The mean ± SD interval between the triggering incident and the onset of SO in six cases was 4.3 ± 4.2 months. One case presented 30 years following the eye injury. Five patients underwent enucleation/evisceration of the exciting eye. The mean ± SD presenting LogMAR BCVA in the sympathizing eye was 0.57 ± 0.82, and the final LogMAR BCVA was 0.61 ± 0.95. Inflammation was completely controlled in 5 patients at a mean ± SD of 8.55 ± 9.21 months following the institution of immunomodulatory therapy, and it was partially controlled in 2 patients. VA deteriorated in all 3 diabetic patients and improved or remained stable in the 4 young and healthy patients. The mean ± SD follow-up period after achieving drug-free remission was 28 ± 22.8 months. The mean ± SD follow-up time was 6.8 ± 5.6 years. CONCLUSIONS: SO is one of the most sight-threatening conditions, affecting the healthy eye. In this cohort, the favorable visual outcome was especially seen in young and healthy individuals. Visual prognosis is directly related to prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Incidence of Sympathetic Ophthalmia after Intraocular Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

TOPIC: Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) is a rare bilateral granulomatous panuveitis that can present after trauma or intraocular surgery (IOS). The incidence of SO after IOS varies among studies. The purpose of this review was to determine the incidence proportion of SO after IOS. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The incidence proportion of SO after IOS can provide physicians and patients with information on the risk of SO during the consent process before surgery. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched from inception to January 1, 2023 for population-based studies of SO after IOS. Two reviewers independently screened the results. Random-effects meta-analyses calculated incidence proportion. Subgroup analysis assessed SO incidence based on IOS type and technological advancements. Study quality and bias were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework. RESULTS: The final meta-analyses included 19 studies, with 118 cases of SO occurring after 505 178 inciting events. The estimated overall incidence proportion of SO after IOS was 0.061% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.033%-0.111%; I2 = 83%), and the estimated incidence rate was 9.24 cases per 100 000 person-years (95% CI, 4.03-21.19; I2 = 88%). The average study duration across these studies was 10.8 years. Within the reviewed literature, SO after glaucoma and vitreoretinal IOS was studied most, with 9 and 6 studies, respectively. Observed differences in incidence between glaucoma (0.098%; 95% CI, 0.042%-0.232%; I2 = 40%) and vitreoretinal (0.043%; 95% CI, 0.022%-0.085%; I2 = 88%) IOS were not statistically significant (P = 0.14). Also, no significant difference was found in the incidence proportion before and after 1975, when modern intraocular surgical techniques emerged (0.060% vs. 0.058%; P = 0.98). The outcome measures showed low-certainty Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation evidence. DISCUSSION: Sympathetic ophthalmia after IOS is rare and might not have changed over the past 5 decades. The estimated incidence proportion of SO may be useful during the consent process before surgery. Also, no significant difference may exist in the incidence of SO between glaucoma and vitreoretinal IOS, based on low-certainty evidence. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

Material risk: vitreoretinal surgery, evisceration, enucleation and sympathetic ophthalmia-where are we currently?

Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) is known to occur after severe penetrating eye injury, evisceration and even enucleation surgery. Recent evidence suggests that a greater risk lies after multiple vitreoretinal procedures. The risk of SO following evisceration is only minimally greater than that following enucleation surgery. This review evaluates literature on SO to date and provides figures for the risk of developing SO for the purposes of the consent process. The issue of SO and Material Risk following vitreoretinal surgery is reviewed and figures for the purposes of consent are outlined. This is of particular relevance for patients in whom the contralateral eye is and will likely remain the better seeing eye. Sympathetic ophthalmitis is known to occur after severe penetrating eye injury, after evisceration and enucleation. More recently, sympathetic ophthalmitis has been recognised to occur after vitreoretinal surgery. This article reviews the evidence on material risk when consenting patients for elective and emergency eye procedures after ocular trauma or surgery. When a globe needs to be removed because of irreparable ocular injury, previous publications dictated the procedure to be an enucleation because of the fear of an increased risk of SO after an evisceration. Perhaps the issue of material risk of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) remains over-emphasised by ophthalmic plastic surgeons and under-recognised by vitreoretinal surgeons during the consent process for evisceration, enucleation and vitreoretinal surgery. Antecedent trauma and number of previous surgeries may actually be a more significant risk factor than the type of eye removal. Recent medicolegal cases also help us understand the importance of the discussion of this risk. We present our current understanding of the risk of SO after different procedures and suggest how this information may be included in a patient consent.

Sympathetic ophthalmia in an 85-year-old female and a 90-year-old male after a non-complicated cataract surgery: a case report.

Here, two cases involving the oldest reported patients with sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) after non-complicated cataract surgery, are reported. The first case was an 85-year-old female with bilateral decreased vision and headache. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.8 in the right eye and 1.0 in the left eye at the initial visit. Pseudophakia and choroidal detachments were observed in both eyes, and retinal pigment epithelium undulation was observed by optical coherence tomography. The second case was a 90-year-old male with bilateral optic disc oedema. The BCVA was 0.09 in the right eye and 0.3 in the left eye with pseudophakic eyes. Optic disc oedema and choroidal thickening were observed in both eyes. Both patients were diagnosed with SO, and corticosteroid pulse treatments were started. The BCVA of the first case improved to 0.9 in the right eye and 1.2 in the left eye, while that of the second case reached 0.3 in the right eye and 0.6 in the left eye. No recurrence was observed in either case at 12 months after the initial visit. Both elderly patients with SO were successfully treated.

Sympathetic Ophthalmia: Demographic Characteristics, Clinical Findings, and Treatment Results.

Objectives: To evaluate the demographic characteristics, clinical findings, and treatment approach of patients with sympathetic ophthalmia (SO). Materials and Methods: The records of 14 patients with SO between 2000 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients' Snellen best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), detailed ophthalmological examination, optical coherence tomography (OCT), enhanced depth imaging-OCT (EDI-OCT), fundus fluorescein angiography findings, and treatment approaches were recorded. Results: The study included the 14 sympathizing eyes of 14 patients with SO (7 female, 7 male). The mean age was 48.5±15.4 years (range: 28-75), and the mean follow-up duration was 55.1±48.7 months (range: 6-204). Ten patients (71%) had a history of ocular trauma and 4 (29%) had a history of ocular surgery. The time to symptom onset in the sympathizing eye after trauma or ocular surgery ranged from 15 days to 60 years. The most common posterior segment findings were optic disc edema (36%) and exudative retinal detachment (36%). In the acute period, the mean choroidal thickness value on EDI-OCT was 716.5±63.6 µm (range: 635-772) and decreased to 296±81.6 µm (range: 240-415) after treatment. Treatment with high-dose systemic corticosteroid was given to 8 patients (57%), azathioprine (AZA) to 7 (50%), AZA and cyclosporine-A combination to 7 (50%), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors to 3 patients (21%). Recurrence was observed in 4 patients (29%) during follow-up. At last follow-up, BCVA values were better than 20/50 in 11 (79%) of the sympathizing eyes. Remission was achieved in 13 patients (93%), but 1 patient (7%) lost her vision due to acute retinal necrosis. Conclusion: SO is a bilateral inflammatory disease that presents with granulomatous panuveitis after ocular trauma or surgery. Favorable functional and anatomical results can be obtained with early diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment.

EIGHTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD MONOCULAR FEMALE WITH ACUTE DECREASED CENTRAL VISION.

PURPOSE: To present a case of suspected sympathetic ophthalmia in an 82-year-old monocular woman. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: Here, we present an 82-year-old woman, status postcataract extraction with lens subluxation followed by a complicated course ultimately requiring enucleation because of a blind and painful eye in 2020, who developed contralateral choroidal lesions 6 months postenucleation along with vitritis and anterior uveitis. The lesions were suspicious for an infectious versus autoimmune etiology. Thorough systemic work-up and multimodal imaging suggest an autoimmune case. The findings in this patient suggest early identified sympathetic ophthalmia with multifocal choroiditis. This patient responded well to treatment of the acute episode with systemic corticosteroids and ultimately required steroid-sparing immunosuppression. CONCLUSION: Sympathetic ophthalmia is a rare entity classically observed after intraocular surgery and trauma. It may mimic many infectious and noninfectious uveitis entities. In this patient, sympathetic is a primary concern given her history and age of presentation with consideration for other uveitic entities.

Sympathetic Ophthalmia - An Overview.

INTRODUCTION: Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) is rare, bilateral granulomatous panuveitis that typically occurs following penetrating or perforating ocular trauma or surgery. This review aims to provide an update on the etiopathogenesis, clinical presentations, diagnosis and treatment of SO. METHODS: Reports cited in MEDLINE database, that analyzed SO in at least 5 patients, published prior to December 1st, 2021 were included. RESULTS: Initially, SO was associated with penetrating ocular trauma, however, various studies reported an increased incidence of SO after surgical procedures including vitreoretinal surgeries. Multimodal imaging including fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography have added further insights into the understanding of SO. While pulse dose corticosteroids & immunosuppressive drugs are still the treatment of choice, TNF-α blockers & other biologic drugs represent new promising agents. CONCLUSION: There is a growing pool of evidence in understanding the pathogenesis of SO. Novel treatment options have provided better prognosis for this potentially blinding condition.

Leopard retinopathy: An unusual presentation of sympathetic ophthalmia.

We report an unusual case of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) in an elderly gentleman following multiple eye surgeries. He presented with diffuse granulomatous panuveitis resembling leopard retinopathy in the left eye. There was a delay in the initiation of effective treatment of his intraocular inflammation, but he responded to corticosteroid and azathioprine. The pigmentary changes in his fundus were highly unusual, and he was investigated extensively to rule out other possible causes including a search for occult malignancy. The delay in initiation of effective treatment or suboptimal therapy in SO, can lead to variable clinical picture in elderly patients. A proper screening to exclude any malignancy along with aggressive immunosuppressive therapy can achieve optimum results.

Sympathetic ophthalmia: A comprehensive update.

Sympathetic ophthalmia is a rare, bilateral, granulomatous, panuveitis following penetrating trauma or surgery to one eye. Clinical presentation commonly occurs within the first year of trauma occurrence but can be delayed by several years. It manifests as acute/chronic granulomatous uveitis with yellowish-white choroidal lesions or Dalen-Fuchs nodules. Initially, patients respond rapidly to corticosteroid therapy, but a majority require long-term use of corticosteroid-sparing agents to prevent recurrences. The purpose of this review is to elaborate on the current understanding of the pathophysiology, the importance of multimodal imaging in early diagnosis, and the role of newer immunomodulatory and biological agents in recalcitrant cases.

Sympathetic Ophthalmia - case report.

Purpose. To present the case of a 22-year-old man with a history of trauma on the right eye, followed by a sudden decrease of visual acuity on the left eye, but with a good recovery after surgical treatment. Material and methods. We reported a case of a 22-year-old patient with a sudden and painless decrease of visual acuity on the left eye, a month after a car accident, which led to the laceration of the right globe. At first, the patient received only medical treatment because he refused any surgical intervention. He had a favorable evolution during hospitalization, but he returned after a month with the same visual acuity as at his first admission. The patient accepted the medical treatment and the enucleation of the right eye, thus having a fast improvement in his visual acuity on the left eye. Conclusions. Although the enucleation was overdue, it had a strong favorable influence on the evolution of the disease. As a result of the surgery, the visual acuity has improved significantly in just a few days. Abbreviations: OCT = optical coherence tomography.

The Risk of Sympathetic Ophthalmia after Vitreoretinal Surgery.

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical course and outcomes of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) and correlate these with the nature of the inciting event and the number of vitreoretinal (VR) procedures undergone by patients. DESIGN: A retrospective case review. SUBJECTS: All patients diagnosed with SO who had been treated or monitored at a single center over a 15-year period. METHODS: A search of the electronic patient record system at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, over a 15-year period (between January 2000 and December 2015) was carried out using the search terms "sympathetic," "ophthalmia," and "ophthalmitis." Sixty-one patients with available records were identified, and data were collected from their complete electronic and paper records. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures were best-corrected visual acuity at 1 year and at the end of follow-up and the number of VR surgical procedures preceding the diagnosis of SO. Data on patient age, sex, disease duration, ocular and systemic manifestations, ocular complications, retinal angiography, and treatment were also collected. RESULTS: There was a wide age range at presentation (2-84 years), and the length of follow-up ranged from 1 to 75 years. The first ocular event was trauma in 40 patients and surgery in 21 patients. Vitreoretinal surgery accounted for 13 of the 21 (62%) surgical first-event triggers. Twenty-three of 61 (38%) patients underwent VR surgery (1-7 operations) at some point before diagnosis. Surgical details were available for 15 patients, who had undergone a total of 25 VR procedures. Based on the surgical activity of the unit, the risk of developing SO after a single VR procedure was estimated to be 0.008%, rising to 6.67% with 7 procedures. A total of 23 (38%) patients experienced a decrease in acuity at the end of the follow-up period, vs. 9 (15%) patients experiencing an improvement and 18 (30%) remaining unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: We feel that the most significant finding in this study is the calculated risk of SO development after a single VR procedure, which was significantly lower in our cohort than that previously reported in the literature. This was seen to rise exponentially with additional procedures.

Efficacy and Safety of Adalimumab Therapy for the Treatment of Non-infectious Uveitis: Efficacy comparison among Uveitis Aetiologies.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of adalimumab treatment in patients with Non-infectious uveitis. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective chart review of patients with active Non-infectious uveitis who had received adalimumab in Japan. Outcome variables included change in systemic immunosuppressive treatment, intraocular inflammation, visual acuity, and relapse rate. RESULTS: In total, 48 patients were included. After the initiation of adalimumab, more than 80% of the patients received systemic corticosteroid ≤5 mg from 3 months onwards. Intraocular inflammation, relapse rate, and visual acuity showed persistent improvement. Adalimumab and methotrexate combination therapy was required in 71.4% of the patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease/sympathetic ophthalmia, whereas it was required in only 18.0% of the patients with Behçet's disease. There were no serious side effects that required discontinuation of adalimumab. CONCLUSION: Adalimumab is efficacious and safe for the treatment of patients with Non-infectious uveitis. Differences in the efficacy of adalimumab treatment may exist between patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease/sympathetic ophthalmia and patients with Behçet's disease.

The Ruptured Globe, Sympathetic Ophthalmia, and the 14-Day Rule.

PURPOSE: Prophylactic enucleation of a ruptured globe with no light perception within 14 days of injury to prevent sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) has been an established dictum in academic teaching for more than 100 years. This treatment strategy was originally based on observation, speculation, and careful thought, but there was never any scientific proof. This review summarizes and updates the current state of our knowledge about globe rupture and SO, examines the origin and validity of the 14-day rule, and emphasizes the importance of trying to save the traumatized eye whenever possible. METHODS: A comprehensive literature review of SO and globe rupture was performed. RESULTS: SO is a rare disorder that may potentially occur following traumatic globe rupture as well as following a variety of other intraocular surgeries. Vitreoretinal surgery may be a more common cause than trauma according to some studies. SO may still occur despite having the eye removed within 14 days of the trauma. A variety of new medications including biologic agents are now available to treat SO with improved efficacy in suppressing the associated ocular inflammation and allowing retention of some useful vision. Removing the traumatized, blind eye may have other important psychological consequences associated with it that require consideration before eye removal is carried out. Retaining the blind, phthisical, disfigured eye avoids phantom vision and phantom pain associated with enucleation as well as providing a good platform to support and move an overlying prosthetic eye. Data on the occurrence of SO following evisceration and enucleation with and without predisposing factors confirms the exceedingly low risk. CONCLUSION: Most civilian open globe injuries can be successfully repaired with modern, advanced microsurgical techniques currently available. Because of the exceedingly low risk of SO, even with the severity of open globe trauma during military conflicts being more devastating as a result of the blast and explosive injuries, today every attempt is made to primarily close the eye rather than primarily enucleate it, providing there is enough viable tissue to repair. The 14-day rule for eye removal after severe globe ruptures is not scientifically supported and does not always protect against SO, but the safe time period for prophylactic eye removal is not definitively known. In the exceptional cases where SO does occur, several new medications are now available that may help treat SO. We advocate saving the ruptured globe whenever possible and avoiding prophylactic enucleation to prevent the rare occurrence of SO. When an eye requires removal, evisceration is an acceptable alternative to enucleation in cases that do not harbor intraocular malignancy.

Incidence of Sympathetic Ophthalmia after Inciting Events: A National Database Study in Japan.

PURPOSE: To analyze the incidence of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) after inciting events (eye trauma or intraocular surgery). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Patients experiencing inciting events between 2012 and 2019. Onset of SO was defined as the first date of SO diagnosis. METHODS: Using a nationwide administrative claims database in Japan, we calculated the cumulative incidence of SO after inciting events stratified by sex, 10-year age groups, and a categorical variable of primary or repeated, reflecting the history of inciting events in the past year (no inciting events, inciting events without trauma, or inciting events with trauma) using the Kaplan-Meier approach. We also estimated the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) by Cox regression. We then restricted the population to those with only 1 inciting event during the observation period to investigate the pure effect of each inciting event. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cumulative incidence of SO over 60 months. RESULTS: A total of 888 041 inciting events (704 717 patients) were eligible. The total number of SO cases was 263, and the cumulative incidence of SO was 0.044% over 60 months. Female sex was not associated with onset of SO (aHR, 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79-1.29; P = 0.95). The group 40 to 49 years of age showed the highest incidence of 0.104% among the age groups (aHR vs. ≥80 years of age group [0.041%], 2.44 [95% CI, 1.56-3.80]; P < 0.001). Repeated inciting events with and without trauma showed higher incidences of SO (0.469% and 0.072%, respectively) than primary inciting events (0.036%) (aHR 11.68 [7.74-17.64] and 2.21 [95% CI, 1.59-3.07], respectively); P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). The incidence of SO after vitrectomy was much lower than after trauma (0.016% vs. 0.073%), and the incidence after scleral buckling was even lower. CONCLUSIONS: The cumulative incidence of SO over 60 months was estimated to be 0.044% at minimum. Repeated inciting events, especially those with trauma, increased the risk of SO developing. Trauma was 4 to 5 times as likely to induce SO than vitrectomy. The present findings will be valuable for counseling patients about the risks of SO after trauma and before performing intraocular surgeries.

The Incidence of Sympathetic Ophthalmia After Trauma: A Meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) is a rare, bilateral panuveitis that occurs following open globe injury (OGI), with a variable incidence reported in the literature. Our objective was to determine the incidence proportion and incidence rate of SO following OGI to help guide shared physician-patient decision making. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases from inception to November 2020 for population-based studies on OGI and SO in adults and children. Two reviewers independently screened search results. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed to calculate the incidence proportion and incidence rate. The Risk Of Bias In Non-Randomized Studies - of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool was used to assess the risk of bias. The study was registered on PROSPERO CRD42020198920. RESULTS: A total of 24 studies were utilized in the meta-analyses. After OGI, the estimated overall incidence proportion of SO was 0.19% (95% CI 0.14%-0.24%) and the incidence rate of SO was 33 per 100,000 person-years, (95% CI 19.61-56.64) with I2 of 13% and 72%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SO after OGI is rare. The estimated incidence proportion and incidence rate are useful when counselling patients regarding management options after OGI. Further studies are needed to examine the influence of age, the extent and location of trauma, timing of repair, and prophylactic eye removal on the incidence of SO.

Intraocular iron injection induces oxidative stress followed by elements of geographic atrophy and sympathetic ophthalmia.

Iron has been implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Previous work showed that intravitreal (IVT) injection of iron induces acute photoreceptor death, lipid peroxidation, and autofluorescence (AF). Herein, we extend this work, finding surprising chronic features of the model: geographic atrophy and sympathetic ophthalmia. We provide new mechanistic insights derived from focal AF in the photoreceptors, quantification of bisretinoids, and localization of carboxyethyl pyrrole, an oxidized adduct of docosahexaenoic acid associated with AMD. In mice given IVT ferric ammonium citrate (FAC), RPE died in patches that slowly expanded at their borders, like human geographic atrophy. There was green AF in the photoreceptor ellipsoid, a mitochondria-rich region, 4 h after injection, followed later by gold AF in rod outer segments, RPE and subretinal myeloid cells. The green AF signature is consistent with flavin adenine dinucleotide, while measured increases in the bisretinoid all-trans-retinal dimer are consistent with the gold AF. FAC induced formation carboxyethyl pyrrole accumulation first in photoreceptors, then in RPE and myeloid cells. Quantitative PCR on neural retina and RPE indicated antioxidant upregulation and inflammation. Unexpectedly, reminiscent of sympathetic ophthalmia, autofluorescent myeloid cells containing abundant iron infiltrated the saline-injected fellow eyes only if the contralateral eye had received IVT FAC. These findings provide mechanistic insights into the potential toxicity caused by AMD-associated retinal iron accumulation. The mouse model will be useful for testing antioxidants, iron chelators, ferroptosis inhibitors, anti-inflammatory medications, and choroidal neovascularization inhibitors.

Recent advances in diagnosis and management of sympathetic ophthalmia.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Sympathetic ophthalmia is a bilateral granulomatous uveitis that occurs following unilateral trauma or surgery and is sight-threatening in the contralateral eye. Despite significant potential morbidity, disease remains poorly understood. Variable presentations and clinical courses, as well as a lack of definitive diagnostic laboratory tests can complicate the diagnosis and result in delayed treatment, which can beget permanent vision loss. This review focuses on recent advances in areas of pathophysiology, classification, diagnosis and treatment. RECENT FINDINGS: Sympathetic ophthalmia is thought to involve a cell-mediated immune response to retinal and uveal antigens exposed through trauma or surgery. Multiple mechanisms have been implicated, including activation of the interleukin-23/IL-17 pathway. Ongoing emphasis is placed on early disease recognition and prompt treatment with multimodal imaging. Multiple authors advocate for the routine use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for screening and disease monitoring. Systemic steroids and steroids sparing-immunosuppressive agents remain the mainstay of treatment. SUMMARY: Understanding pathophysiology may provide useful targets for drug development, as well as allow for identification of patients at risk. OCT is a useful tool in early diagnosis and management of sympathetic ophthalmia, as OCT changes may precede clinical symptoms and signs, allowing for early disease detection and better visual outcomes.

Sympathetic ophthalmia after vitreoretinal surgery: a report of two cases.

Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) is a panuveitis that usually occurs after trauma to one eye. We describe two cases of SO occurring after 23-gauge vitrectomy. Case 1 involved a 66-year-old woman who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Two months later, she presented with decreased visual acuity (VA) and bilateral uveitis. Case 2 involved a 43-year-old woman who underwent a second PPV for recurrent retinal detachment. Two months later, she presented with bilateral panuveitis. Both patients were diagnosed with SO and were treated with methylprednisolone and cyclosporine. The first patient was further treated with a dexamethasone intravitreal implant (Ozurdex®) owing to the side effects of methylprednisolone. The VA and symptoms improved significantly after treatment in both patients. Bilateral granulomatous panuveitis following PPV should alert surgeons to consider SO. Appropriate interventions for SO can produce positive outcomes.