Sympathetic Ophthalmitis Following Ocular Trauma and Vitrectomy in a Young Male

We report a case of sympathetic ophthalmitis (SO) in a 25-year-old male following open globe trauma and vitrectomy. The patient presented with left eye hyphema and scleral laceration following trauma from a burst bicycle tyre. He underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with corneoscleral repair and silicone oil tamponade. Two months later, the sympathizing eye (right eye) developed anterior chamber cells, initially managed as uveitis. Progression prompted multimodal imaging with fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), which revealed pinpoint leaks and subretinal fluid (SRF), confirming SO. Treatment with intravenous methylprednisolone (1 g/day for 3 days) followed by tapering oral corticosteroids restored visual acuity to 6/6 within 4 weeks. This case underscores the importance of early recognition and prompt corticosteroid therapy to preserve vision in SO.