Presumed Intraocular Tuberculosis Manifesting as Unilateral Iris Granuloma

ABSTRACT

Ocular tuberculosis can manifest in a wide variety of clinical presentations. The prevalence is higher in endemic areas as a cause of granulomatous uveitis. While posterior segment manifestations are well known, anterior segment granulomas alone are relatively rare. We report two cases of unilateral iris granulomata in two young patients who presented with decreased vision and redness and were found to have well-circumscribed iris granulomas. Both underwent systemic evaluation and had a negative Mantoux test. Biopsy pathology of the lesions revealed granulomatous inflammation but were negative for PCR, staining, and culture for TB. One patient turned out to have multiple pulmonary lesions. The ocular condition initially worsened with steroid therapy alone and improved and resolved completely after starting a 9 months course of anti-tubercular therapy (ATT).

KEYWORDS:

• Iris granuloma
• granulomatous uveitis
• ocular tuberculosis
• anti-tubercular therapy
• Mantoux test

Declaration of interest

There are no declarations of interest to report for any of the authors.