[Case of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy accompanied by Churg-Strauss syndrome].

Background: Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a vasculitis which includes the three signs of bronchial asthma, hypereosinophilia, and vasculitis syndrome. We report a case in whom anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) accompanied CSS. Such a case has not been reported previously in Japan.

Case: A 66-year-old woman with a history of bronchial asthma and eosinophilic pneumonia was hospitalized for fever, unusual feelings in both plantae and in a finger of her left hand, disturbance of visual acuity and visual field in the right eye, and skin rashes; a diagnosis of CSS was made. At the time of the first ophthalmological examination, AION was observed. Steroid therapy was started, but the treatment was not effective, despite an improvement in choroidal circulation confirmed by fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography. In the unaffected eye, soft exudates appeared when the steroid dose was lowered and disappeared when the steroid dose was raised.

Conclusion: Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy accompanied with Churg-Strauss syndrome resisted medical treatment and the prognosis was poor.