A rare ocular complication of neisseria gonorrhoeae

Spontaneous formation of subconjunctival filtering blebs is rare and has been observed after penetrating ocular surgery, in association with connective tissue diseases and inflammatory conditions.

We describe here a case of a spontaneous formation of subconjunctival filtering bleb as sequelae of gonococcal conjunctivitis in an adult patient.

Spontaneous filtering bleb is a rare complication of gonococcal conjunctivitis. In this case, the patient presented with a recent history of gonococcal conjunctivitis treated with moxifloxacin eye drops and intravenous cephalothin for a week. On the first exam, there was superior corneal thinning with surrounding conjunctival hyperemia and edema in the right eye, but after the patient lost the follow-up for 2 weeks, the corneal thinning had become a pseudopterygium. After another week, we observed a focal elevation on the superior conjunctiva that had the appearance of a bleb, although the anterior chamber remained deep. The filtering bleb was confirmed by ultrasound biomicroscopy examination (UBM).

This case is relevant to the clinical practice because filtering blebs should be considered as a complication of gonococcal conjunctivitis because they pose a threat to the eye when substantial leakage occurs.