Scleritis
(Redirected from Scleritis and Episcleritis)
Background
- Potentially blinding disorder
- Sclera fuses with dura mater and arachnoid sheath of the opic nerve
- Reason why optic nerve edema and visual compromise are common complications
- 50% of cases associated with an underlying disorder:
Clinical Features
- Essential sign is scleral edema, usually accompanied by violaceous discoloration of the globe
- Intense ocular pain that radiates to the face
- Pain with EOM (extraocular muscles insert into the sclera)
- Photophobia
- Globe tenderness to palpation
- Episcleral vessel dilation
Posterior Scleritis
- Posterior to the insertion of the extraocular muscles
- Physical exam often benign
- Inflammation may sometimes be seen at the extremes of gaze
- Patient complains of pain, pain upon EOM
- Involvement of the optic nerve and retina is common
- Retinal detachment, optic disc edema
Complications
- Cornea (peripheral ulcerative keratitis → irreversible loss of vision)
- Uveal tract (anterior uveitis seen in 40% - spillover of inflammation from the sclera)
- Posterior segment (retinal detachment, optic disc edema)
DifferentialDiagnosis
Unilateral red eye
- Nontraumatic
- Acute angle-closure glaucoma^
- Anterior uveitis
- Conjunctivitis
- Corneal erosion
- Corneal ulcer^
- Endophthalmitis^
- Episcleritis
- Herpes zoster ophthalmicus
- Inflamed pinguecula
- Inflamed pterygium
- Keratoconjunctivitis
- Keratoconus
- Nontraumatic iritis
- Scleritis^
- Subconjunctival hemorrhage
- Orbital trauma
- Caustic keratoconjunctivitis^^
- Corneal abrasion, Corneal laceration
- Conjunctival hemorrhage
- Conjunctival laceration
- Globe rupture^
- Hemorrhagic chemosis
- Lens dislocation
- Ocular foreign body
- Posterior vitreous detachment
- Retinal detachment
- Retrobulbar hemorrhage
- Traumatic hyphema
- Traumatic iritis
- Traumatic mydriasis
- Traumatic optic neuropathy
- Vitreous detachment
- Vitreous hemorrhage
- Ultraviolet keratitis
^Emergent diagnoses ^^Critical diagnoses
Evaluation
- Labs (to assess possible associated disease)
- CBC
- Chemistry
- Urinalysis (evaluate for glomerulonephritis)
- ESR, CRP
Imaging
- Ultrasound and CT can show thickening of the sclera
Management
- Systemic therapy with NSAIDs, glucocorticoids, or other immunosuppressive drugs
- NSAIDs
- Indomethacin 25-75mg PO TID
Disposition
- Urgent ophtho consult