Retinal detachment in ocular toxoplasmosis

Abstract

Purpose: To report on the clinical course and prognosis of retinal breaks and detachment occurring in patients with ocular toxoplasmosis.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional observational study.

Participants: One hundred fifty consecutive patients with ocular toxoplasmosis.

Intervention: A review of all records of patients with ocular toxoplasmosis who had consulted our department from 1990 through 1997 was performed.

Main outcome measures: The presence of retinal detachment or breaks and possible risk factors, such as age, myopia, the interval between the last recurrence of inflammation and the onset of retinal detachment, severity of vitritis, previous treatment methods, and the location of the retinal abnormalities, were analyzed.

Results: We found a frequency of 6% (9/150) for retinal detachment and an additional 5% (7/150) for retinal breaks among our patients with ocular toxoplasmosis. Attacks of active ocular toxoplasmosis preceding the retinal detachment or retinal breaks were characterized by severe intraocular inflammation. The frequency of myopia in our patients with retinal detachment or retinal breaks was significantly higher than in patients with ocular toxoplasmosis without retinal detachment or retinal breaks. The functional prognosis for the patients with retinal detachment was poor; legal blindness (visual acuity < or = 20/200) resulting from retinal detachment occurred in five of the nine patients.

Conclusions: Careful retinal examination in ocular toxoplasmosis is warranted, especially in patients with myopia and severe intraocular inflammation.