Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 7, 2026

Induction of Ocular Surface Inflammation and Collection of Involved Tissues
Published on: August 4, 2022
Diverse Clinical Signs of Ocular Involvement in Cat Scratch Disease
Merih Oray1, Sumru Önal2, Aylin Koç Akbay3
1İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, İstanbul, Turkey.
Objectives:
To describe ocular manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of cat scratch disease.
Materials And Methods:
Clinical records of patients with ocular cat scratch disease were reviewed.
Results:
Thirteen eyes of 10 patients (7 female, 3 male) with a mean age of 26.9±18.5 years were included. Nine patients had a history of cat contact and had systemic symptoms associated with cat scratch disease 2-90 days prior to the ocular symptoms. Ocular signs were: neuroretinitis in 4 eyes (associated with serous retinal detachment in the inferior quadrant in 1 eye), optic neuropathy in 2 eyes (1 papillitis and optic disc infiltration, 1 optic neuritis), retinal infiltrates in 6 eyes, retinochoroiditis in 1 eye, branch retinal arteriolar occlusion in 3 eyes, and endophthalmitis in 1 eye. Visual acuities at presentation were 1.0 in 7 eyes, 0.3 in 1 eye, ≤0.1 in 4 eyes, and light perception in 1 eye. Bartonella henselae immunoglobulin (Ig) M and/or IgG were positive in all patients. Systemic antibiotic therapy was administered in all patients. Systemic corticosteroid treatment (15-40 mg/day) was added to the therapy in 4 patients, following 5 days of intravenous pulse methylprednisolone in 2 patients. Treatment was ongoing for 1 patient and the mean treatment duration of the other 9 patients was 47±14.5 days. Visual acuities at final visit were 1.0 in 9 eyes, 0.8 in 1 eye, 0.4 in 1 eye, and no light perception in 1 eye.
Conclusion:
Cat scratch disease may present with different ocular signs and should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with such presentations.

