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Ocular screening in severe acute respiratory syndrome
Kenneth S C Yuen1, Wai-Man Chan, Dorothy S P Fan
1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Purpose:
To investigate the ocular manifestations of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and to monitor the possible ocular complications arising from the treatment regimen with high-dose systemic corticosteroid drugs.
Design:
Prospective, observational cohort case series.
Methods:
Ninety eyes from 45 patients with the diagnosis of SARS during an epidemic outbreak in Hong Kong were analyzed. Relevant medical and ophthalmic histories were taken. Ophthalmic examinations, including best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, slit-lamp, and indirect ophthalmoscopy examination, were performed at baseline and at 2-month and 3-month follow-up.
Setting:
Faculty practice in university hospital.
Results:
Only two patients had mild elevated intraocular pressure at baseline and at subsequent follow-up. There was no loss of visual acuity, cataract progression, or increased cup-disk ratio. Fundus examinations were unremarkable in all patients.
Conclusions:
Our study did not demonstrate any ocular manifestations in patients with SARS. The treatment regimen of high-dose corticosteroid also did not show any significant ocular complications. Routine ocular screening of patients with SARS for diagnosis or for complications might not be indicated.