Acute retinal necrosis syndrome in a child.

We recently cared for an 11-year-old child with acute retinal necrosis syndrome, an ophthalmologic condition characterized by the triad of anterior uveitis, occlusive retinal vasculitis and progressive peripheral retinal necrosis. Acute retinal necrosis syndrome occurs primarily in nonimmunocompromised adults as a result of reactivated herpes simplex or varicella-zoster virus infection. Antiviral and antiinflammatory therapy appears to reduce the incidence of vision-threatening retinal necrosis and involvement of the contralateral eye.