Association of herpetic encephalitis with acute retinal necrosis syndrome.

Bilateral acute retinal necrosis syndrome developed shortly after a severe acute encephalitis in two previously healthy adults. The clinical and laboratory data suggested that herpes simplex virus was the cause of the encephalitis and acute retinal necrosis in these patients. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of an association of herpetic encephalitis with acute retinal necrosis in the literature.