Tuberculosis presenting as posttraumatic panophthalmitis

Abstract

Panophthalmitis is one of rare manifestations of tuberculosis described in atypical situations such as children, immune compromised patients, or drug abuse. The present report describes the first case of tubercular panophthalmitis developing after trauma in an otherwise healthy adult patient. A 46-year-old female patient presented with corneal infiltrate and endophthalmitis that developed after an injury to right eye with wooden object. Corneal scrapings and vitreous tap were sterile. The patient did not improve with antibiotics and developed panophthalmitis. On evisceration of the painful blind eye, histopathology showed the presence of granulomatous inflammation and acid-fast bacilli. The patient had no other systemic focus of tubercular infection. The patient was managed with anti-tubercular therapy for 6 months. Atypical presentations of tuberculosis like panophthalmitis pose a difficult problem in diagnosis as well as treatment. Direct inoculation of bacilli during trauma is a rare source of infection. This case report presents unusual development of tubercular panophthalmitis following direct inoculation of bacilli during trauma. Ocular tuberculosis should be considered in differential diagnosis of posttraumatic endophthalmitis and panophthalmitis, especially in endemic regions like India.