Occult Fungal Scleritis.

PURPOSE: To heighten awareness of occult fungal scleritis.

METHOD: Case report and review of the literature.

RESULTS

A 73-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus was diagnosed for 3 months with immune-mediated scleritis and subsequently treated with corticosteroids. On referral, the patient had a scleral nodule with contiguous corneal infiltrate and hypopyon. Culture grew Fusarium species not further classified. The infection could not be controlled with antifungal therapy, and the eye was removed. No exogenous or endogenous source for the infection could be identified by clinical history or examination.

CONCLUSION

Fungal scleritis can develop in persons without a history of foreign body injury, minor trauma, or evidence of endogenous fungemia. A high index of suspicion for infectious scleritis must be maintained in persons with presumed immune-mediated scleritis who fail to respond to conventional therapy, particularly if they present with decreased visual acuity.