Presumed Sympathetic Ophthalmia after Scleral Buckling Surgery: Case Report

Background: Scleral buckling (SB) is usually considered an extraocular operation, and it is presumed to have low risk of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO). We aimed to report a rare case of presumed SO in a young female patient following SB. Case Presentation: A nineteen year-old female patient was referred for visual loss in her left eye because of macula off inferior longstanding rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD). Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/400 in the left eye. SB with 360 degrees encircling band and inferior segmental tire, with one spot cryoretinopexy at the break site and subretinal fluid drainage was performed. One week after operation, BCVA was improved to 20/80 and retina was totally attached. Six weeks later, patient came with severe visual loss in both eyes as counting finger 1 meter. Bilateral multifocal serous RD and vitreous cells was found. The patient was diagnosed as sympathetic Ophthalmia, and treated with intravenous corticosteroid pulse therapy and mycophenolate mofetil. The inflammation was controlled and serous RD resolved after five days intravenous treatment and was not relapsed after six months. BCVA became 20/20 in right eye and 20/50 in the left eye after six months. Systemic workup was negative for any extraocular disease or systemic involvement.Conclusion: As SB usually considered as a procedure without manipulating intraocular tissues, it is considered to have low risk for SO. In this report, we presented SO occurance after successful SB. Inciting the choroid and retinal pigment epithelium with cryoretinopexy or perforating for drainage may induce SO.