Continued vision loss from progressive expansion of inactive chorioretinal scars in a myopic patient with well-controlled sympathetic ophthalmia.
OBJECTIVE
To describe significant vision loss caused by enlargement of chorioretinal scars related to sympathetic ophthalmia despite adequate control of intraocular inflammation.


METHODS
A case report of a 62-year-old man who developed sympathetic ophthalmia after a vitrectomy, which was successful in repairing a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.


RESULTS
Progressive expansion of chorioretinal scars occurred despite successful control of intraocular inflammation related to sympathetic ophthalmia. The visual acuity declined from 20/20 to no light perception in the right eye and from 20/400 to light perception in the left eye over 11 years of follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Progressive enlargement of chorioretinal scars and visual loss may occur despite adequate control of intraocular inflammation in patients with sympathetic ophthalmia. Similar patterns of scar expansion have been reported in eyes after laser photocoagulation, but we believe this is the first report of scar enlargement in the setting of well-controlled sympathetic ophthalmia.
*Pacific Vision Foundation, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California †West Coast Retina Medical Group, San Francisco, California ‡Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
Jon D
JD
Wender
Robert N
RN
Johnson
H Richard
HR
McDonald
J Michael
JM
Jumper
Arthur D
AD
Fu
Brandon J
BJ
Lujan
Emmett T
ET
Cunningham