Sympathetic ophthalmia after successful retinal reattachment surgery with vitrectomy.

PURPOSE To report a case of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) following one successful pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. METHODS Case report. RESULTS A 50-year-old man developed SO 5 weeks after successful repair of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with PPV and intraocular gas tamponade. The patient presented with bilateral multifocal exudative retinal detachments and inflamed optic nerve with characteristic changes of SO detected by fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography. Prompt use of systemic steroids and cyclosporin A resulted in control of the uveitis with significant visual improvement. CONCLUSIONS PPV should be viewed as a major risk factor for development of SO.