Cytomegalovirus anterior uveitis and occlusive retinal vasculitis without retinitis in a patient on immunomodulatory therapy

PURPOSE: To describe unusual clinical features and therapeutic management of a case of cytomegalovirus (CMV) ocular disease in a patient on immunomodulatory therapy. SETTING/VENUE: Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. METHODS: Medical history, clinical findings, investigation results, and multimodal imaging were retrospectively collected. RESULTS: A 61-year-old, South-East Asian man, developed CMV-related endotheliitis and occlusive retinal vasculitis, diagnosed by wide-angle fluorescein angiography. No retinitis was present on the fundus examination. Suspicion of CMV etiology was based on anterior segment findings, especially the presence of coin-shaped endothelial lesions. The diagnosis was confirmed by aqueous polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis which was positive for CMV DNA. The combined use of topical and systemic valganciclovir resulted in significant improvement of the picture. CONCLUSIONS: CMV can manifest in the eye as occlusive retinal vasculitis without the presence of typical retinitis.