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Purpose: To report a highly unusual and fulminant case of infectious fungal panophthalmitis that initially presented as angle closure in the setting of posterior scleritis, culminating in the loss of the affected eye. Observations: A 57-year-old woman with a history of poorly controlled diabetes mellitus and autoimmune disease presented with a unilateral flat anterior chamber, highly elevated intraocular pressure (50–65 mmHg) and severe chemosis of the right eye. Initial VA was NLP in the affected eye. An ultrasound B-scan revealed a very pronounced T-sign and severely thickened posterior sclera and choroid indicative of posterior scleritis. Bloodwork showed elevation of WBC count to 18 K/μL and broad spectrum antibiotics were initiated. However, a comprehensive infectious workup including fungal cultures were persistently negative. After three days of IV NSAIDs and antibiotics, WBC count normalized and pain had mildly improved. After consultation with a multidisciplinary team that included the Glaucoma, Retina/Uveitis, Infectious Disease, Rheumatology and Internal Medicine services, high dose IV methylprednisolone was started. Despite the initial improvement, corneoscleral decompensation and paralimbal perforation of the globe occurred. The eye was enucleated, and pathologic examination revealed a dense focus of budding yeast in the vitreous cavity. Conclusions and importance: Scleritis is a rare entity, with posterior scleritis, infectious scleritis, and fungal scleritis representing increasingly rare subtypes. However, fungal scleritis may be underdiagnosed due to a number of factors including culture negativity, a lack of clinical suspicion, as well as the disease's propensity to masquerade as other pathologies such as angle closure or malignant glaucoma. Fungal scleritis should be considered in cases that present with possible infectious etiology, worsen with systemic corticosteroid treatment, or worsen despite broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage. When treating patients with underlying risk factors such as uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, recent antibiotic use, use of total parenteral nutrition, or immunosuppression, a higher level of suspicion for fungal etiology is also appropriate. In the outpatient setting, fungal eye infections do not always present with critical systemic illness or culture positivity. If there is suspicion for fungal involvement, early aqueous or vitreous tap may improve diagnostic yield.

Infection of the sclera poses a therapeutic challenge due to its poor vascularity. Herein, we describe a case of fungal scleritis following evisceration in an immunocompetent man. Aggressive multidrug medical treatment was combined with enucleation to eliminate the infection. Thus, a multipronged approach is to be adopted for successful outcome and the prevention of complications.

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.

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]

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]