Monocular posterior scleritis presenting as acute conjunctivitis: A case report

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Inflammatory Diseases

Background:

• Posterior scleritis is a rare, severe inflammatory ocular disease often misdiagnosed due to varied symptoms.
• Symptoms include eye pain, redness, and visual impairment, mimicking other conditions like conjunctivitis.

Observation:

• A 56-year-old man presented with eye pain and redness, initially treated as conjunctivitis without improvement.
• Examination revealed reduced vision and shallow anterior chamber; further tests confirmed posterior scleritis.

Findings:

• Treatment involved oral methylprednisolone and sub-Tenon's betamethasone injection.
• Optical coherence tomography confirmed resolution of subretinal fluid post-treatment.

Implications:

• Posterior scleritis requires consideration in differential diagnoses for eye pain and redness.
• Advanced ophthalmic imaging, particularly optical coherence tomography, is vital for accurate diagnosis.