Presumed ocular tuberculosis presenting as episcleritis

Abstract

In India, where tuberculosis is endemic and the incidence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis is relatively high, patients who present with focal redness and swelling of the eyes must be evaluated thoroughly, including hematological and radiological examinations. A 45-year-old woman presented at the Ruby Eye Hospital, Berhampur, India, with a reddish nodular swelling in the right eye, with prominent episcleral vessels (A). Her Mantoux test showed 20 mm induration, and apical lung fibrosis was noted on high-resolution computed tomography. The patient was diagnosed with ocular tuberculosis and treated with four-drug antitubercular therapy for 2 months and two-drug therapy for 8 months, following which the nodule regressed completely (B).