A 60-year-old man with a history of severe herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) encephalitis 2 years prior presented with acute onset of visual loss in the left eye. Dilated funduscopic examination showed retinitis and occlusive vasculitis with retinal necrosis. PCR of the vitreous fluid was positive for HSV-1, and he was diagnosed with acute retinal necrosis (ARN) due to HSV-1. The patient was treated with intravenous acyclovir and intravitreous foscarnet for 2 weeks, followed by high dose oral valacyclovir for 2 weeks. He was subsequently placed on planned life-long suppressive valacyclovir. His case demonstrates that acute visual loss concomitant with or subsequent to HSV-1 encephalitis warrants suspicion of ARN. Prompt therapy with effective antiviral medication is necessary to reduce the risk of sight-threatening complications. Chronic suppression with oral antiviral therapy after ARN is recommended to prevent involvement of the contralateral eye, though there is no consensus on the duration and dosage of antivirals.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2018-229137 | DOI Listing |
Microorganisms
December 2024
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
Infectious retinitis, though rare, poses a significant threat to vision, often leading to severe and irreversible damage. Various pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, tick-borne agents, parasites, and fungi, can cause this condition. Among these, necrotizing herpetic retinitis represents a critical spectrum of retinal infections primarily caused by herpes viruses such as varicella-zoster virus (VZV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCells
December 2024
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Functional cell death pathways are essential for normal ocular vascular development and tissue homeostasis. As our understanding of necrosis-based cell death pathways has expanded, the inclusion of regulated forms, including necroptosis, ferroptosis, and oxytosis, has occurred. Although the existence of these pathways is well described, our understanding of their role during vascular development and pathological neovascularization is very limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOphthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina
January 2025
Indian J Ophthalmol
January 2025
Uveitis and Retina Services, L V Prasad Eye Institute, GMR Varalakshmi Campus, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Purpose: To study clinical features, anatomical and visual outcomes in eyes having rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD) as the presenting feature of acute retinal necrosis (ARN).
Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with ARN (active/healed) and concomitant RD at the presenting visit.
Results: The median age of patients was 36 years, with a male preponderance (9:1).
Front Cell Infect Microbiol
December 2024
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Fudan University Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Objective: Acute retinal necrosis (ARN) caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is associated with changes in specific proteins in the eye's fluid, particularly matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), an enzyme that breaks down tissue structures, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), which regulates MMP activity. This study aims to investigate how these proteins correlate with the progression of ARN.
Methods: We analyzed aqueous humor samples from 33 patients with ARN and 23 control patients with virus-negative uveitis.
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