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Scleritis is a rare painful ocular disorder, associated with severe ocular pain and tissue destruction. Although a majority of these cases are immune mediated and at least half of these are associated with systemic immune-mediated diseases, a smaller minority are due to infections of the sclera. The two conditions closely mimic each other, and a thorough knowledge of the subtle differences is necessary in order to reach a timely diagnosis. Diagnostic delay can lead to a poor outcome both due to the destruction caused by the uncontrolled infection and also due to propagation of the infection with the use of corticosteroids which may have been started for presumed immune mediated scleritis. In this review, we present the clinical features, etiological agents, and the differentiating features between immune and infectious scleritis. We also present diagnostic and management guidelines for managing scleral infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An otherwise healthy 62-year-old woman developed necrotizing scleritis 23 years following pterygium excision with adjunctive beta-radiation. Surgically induced necrotizing scleritis (SINS) was diagnosed, but the scleritis progressed despite anti-inflammatory therapy, and 10 weeks after presentation the patient developed a hypopyon and decreased vision. After cultures revealed no growth at 72 hours, immunosuppressive therapy was escalated, with a subsequent deterioration in the patient's clinical course. Scedosporium superinfection was eventually cultured and found on histological examination of the enucleated globe. In reported cases, infectious scleral necrosis occurs most commonly following pterygium (71.4%) and scleral buckling (97.2%) surgery. Hypopyon is uncommon (10.0%) in patients with postoperative scleral necrosis, but when present is a strong predictor of infection (odds ratio, 21.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.9–157.5). Rates of underlying autoimmune disease are generally low (0.0–12.5%) except following cataract and lens procedures, where the occurence of SINS heralds systemic illness in 42.9% of cases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction The object of this case is to report the clinical findings, microbiological findings and management of a case of fungal scleritis following cataract surgery, which mimicked surgically induced necrotizing scleritis. Case presentation A 72-year-old Asian (Indian) man presented with scleritis following cataract surgery at another facility. He had been treated elsewhere for suspected scleritis, primarily with steroids followed by empiric antibiotic and antifungal agents. At our institute he underwent a complete microbiological workup and a scleral patch graft. The scleral scraping revealed fungal filaments. He was treated postoperatively with topical and systemic antifungal agent along with topical cyclosporine. The follow-up examination at 5 months revealed that the scleral patch graft was successful in maintaining the integrity of his globe and restoring partial vision. Conclusions Fungal scleritis may mimic surgically induced necrotizing scleritis. Early diagnosis and prompt management can prevent progression of the disease and further devastating complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]