[Iritis and optic nerve meningitis--initial symptoms of latent syphilis]

A 19-year-old woman presented in the latent phase of secondary syphilis with chronic bilateral anterior uveitis and a slightly elevated optic disk with indistinct margins in the left eye; this was interpreted as a meningitis of the optic nerve. Serologic examination revealed the syphilitic infection, which had not previously been apparent. The symptoms resolved completely after specific therapy.