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Updated: Dec 11, 2025
Retinal Vascular Reactivity as Assessed by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Published on: March 26, 2020
Detection of Pre-clinical Involvement of the Second Eye in Viral Acute Retinal Necrosis Using Optical Coherence
S Pockar1, N P Jones1,2, R Chhabra1,2
1Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Medical Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
Purpose:
To report the detection of retinitis in the second eye of a patient with viral acute retinal necrosis (ARN), before the appearance of clinical change, using swept-source optical coherence tomography.
Results:
A 63 year-old male developed right-sided varicella-zoster virus (VZV) ARN, confirmed with aqueous sampling. High-dose intravenous aciclovir caused renal impairment and was suspended for two-days. One day later, left eye macular SS-OCT revealed focal retinal thickening and disruption of retinal architecture without clinically detectable retinitis. The patient was asymptomatic. Aqueous sampling was VZV PCR positive. He received bilateral foscarnet injections and renal adjusted dose of aciclovir. The left OCT signs improved with full restoration of retinal layers.
Conclusions:
We report for the first time the use of OCT to detect pre-clinical second eye retinitis during ARN. Prompt diagnosis and combined systemic and intensive local antiviral therapy resulted in a favourable structural and functional outcome.
