Frosted branch angiitis following corneal tear repair

Abstract

We report a patient who developed frosted branch angiitis (FBA) and was diagnosed 1 month after the penetrating eye injury (PEI) repair. A 31-year-old male with no systemic comorbidities presented with defective vision following trauma to his left eye while cutting wood. His best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/200. Anterior segment examinations showed a zone I full-thickness corneal tear with iris tissue incarceration. There was no clinical evidence of intraocular foreign body (IOFB) or endophthalmitis. He underwent PEI repair with iris abscission on the same day with intracameral moxifloxacin injection. His BCVA on postoperative day 45 was 20/200. Examination showed a resolving vitreous hemorrhage, venous tortuosity, and retinal perivascular infiltration affecting the venules from the posterior pole up to the periphery. He was treated with oral and topical steroids. The clinical signs resolved completely and BCVA improved to 20/20 after 1 month of treatment. FBA can complicate the recovery of eyes after PEI repair, even in the absence of endophthalmitis or sympathetic ophthalmia. A thorough search for IOFB or its tell-tale signs should be done in such eyes.