VZV and HSV DNA were detected in a subset of patients with serpiginous choroiditis, suggesting that these viruses may function in the pathogenesis of this disease.

Postoperative necrotizing scleritis should be considered in cases of persistent localized postoperative inflammation following all forms of surgical trauma. We present the history, clinical findings, and follow-up data of four patients with postoperative necrotizing scleritis. The clinical records of four patients who developed scleritis following ocular surgery were retrospectively reviewed. The first step in managing necrotizing scleritis is to rule out infectious etiology. Surgically induced necrotizing scleritis is an immune-mediated condition that can coexist with concomitant infectious condition, i.e. endophthalmitis, but response to immunosuppression leads to resolution of the disease and verifies the diagnosis.

Background: Eales' disease (ED) is an idiopathic retinal vascular disorder. It presents with inflammation and neovascularization in the retina. Adult men, aged between 15 and 40 years are more susceptible than women. Homocysteine has been implicated in other ocular diseases including age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and optic neuropathy. The present study investigates the role of homocysteine in ED. Methods: Forty male subjects, 20 with ED and 20 healthy controls, were recruited to the study. Their blood samples were used to measure thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), glutathione (GSH), homocysteine, homocysteine-thiolactone, extent of homocysteine conjugation with proteins and plasma copper concentration. Results: In the ED group, plasma homocysteine (18.6 AE 1.77 mmol/L, P < 0.001) and homocysteine-thiolactone (45.3 AE 6.8 nmol/L, P < 0.0001) concentrations were significantly higher compared to homocysteine (11.2 AE 0.64 mmol/L) and homocysteine-thiolactone (7.1 AE 0.94 nmol/L) concentrations in control subjects. TBARS (P < 0.011) and protein homocysteinylation (P < 0.030) were higher in the ED group while GSH (5.9 AE 0.44 mmol/L, P < 0.01) and copper (6.6 AE 0.42 mmol/L, P < 0.001) were lower compared to GSH (8.1 AE 0.41 mmol/L) and copper (15.4 AE 0.73 mmol/L) concentrations in control subjects. Conclusions: Increased homocysteine, and its metabolite thiolactone, is associated with the functional impairment of protein due to homocysteinylation in ED.

The application of PCR to detect genotypes can be used as an epidemiological tool for clinical management. To our knowledge this is the first report on genotyping of EBV performed on intra ocular samples.

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