CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-ASSOCIATED ACUTE RETINAL NECROSIS FOLLOWED BY RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT IN AN IMMUNOCOMPETENT MAN

Authors

  • Zaid Azhar Shifa International Hospital Islamabad
  • Tafiya Erum Kamran
  • Zaira Haider Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad
  • Seyreen Faisal Shifa International Hospital Islamabad
  • Rida Inam
  • Asim Mehmood Shifa International Hospital Islamabad
  • Muhammad Amer Awan Shifa International Hospital Islamabad

Keywords:

acute retinal necrosis, CMV, retinal detachment, immunocompetent

Abstract

We report an interesting case of a 37-year-old immunocompetent man, who got diagnosed as a case of unilateral CMV retinitis. As a sequela of the disease, he developed rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. The patient was surgically managed and reported significant improvement in his vision. The main culprits of Acute Retinal Necrosis (ARN) are the members of the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) family, mainly HSV-1, HSV-2, and VZV. There is limited reporting of cases caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viruses. Cytomegalovirus retinitis is mostly affiliated with immunocompromised adults. The reporting of CMV retinitis from southeast Asia, as far as we know, is limited to people who are immunocompromised. No CMV-associated ARN has been reported in immunocompetent patients from the sub-continent region. Cytomegalovirus retinitis in an immunocompetent patient is a rare entity that prompts early diagnosis and treatment. Physicians should be aware of the occurrence of this disease in this demographic. Furthermore, the incidence of RRD in these patients is rare but not out of the frame of possibility, so patients should be kept on regular follow-ups. In our case, the patient reported improvement in symptoms after being managed by both medical and surgical intervention

References

1. Jabs DA, Belfort RB Jr, Bodaghi B, Graham E, Holland GN, Lightman SL, et al. Classification criteria for acute retinal necrosis syndrome. Am J Ophthalmol 2021;228:237–244.

2. Bergstrom R, Tripathy K. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan. Acute Retinal Necrosis; 2023.

3. Mayer CS, Blobner K, Storr J, Baur ID, Khoramnia R. Acute Retinal Necrosis: Signs, Treatment, Complications and Outcome. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022;12(2):386.

4. Almeida DRP, Chin EK, Tarantola RM, Tegins EO, Lopez CA, Boldt HC, et al. Long-term outcomes in patients undergoing vitrectomy for retinal detachment due to viral retinitis. Clin Ophthalmol 2015;9:1307–14.

5. Cheraqpour K, Ahmadraji A, Rashidinia A, Irannejad M, Shahriari M. Acute retinal necrosis caused by co-infection with multiple viruses in a natalizumab-treated patient: a case report and brief review of literature. BMC Ophthalmol 2021;21(1):337.

6. Vadlapudi AD, Vadlapatla RK, Mitra AK. Current and Emerging Antivirals for the Treatment of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Retinitis: an Update on Recent Patents. Recent Pat Antiinfect Drug Discov 2012;7(1):8–18.

7. Voros GM, Pandit R, Snow M, Griffiths PG. Unilateral recurrent acute retinal necrosis syndrome caused by cytomegalovirus in an immune-competent adult. Case Reports Eur J Ophthalmol 2006;16(3):484–6.

8. Urayama A. Unilateral acute uveitis with periarteritis and detachment. Jpn J Clin Ophthalmol 1971;25:607–19.

9. Babiuch AS, Ravage ZB, Merrill PT. Cytomegalovirus acute retinal necrosis in an immunocompetent patient after sub-tenon triamcinolone injection. Retin Cases Brief Rep 2010;4(4):364–5.

10. Thrane AS, Hove M, Kjersem B, Krohn J. Acute retinal necrosis and ocular neovascularization caused by cytomegalovirus following intravitreal dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex®) in an immunocompetent patient. Case Reports Acta Ophthalmol 2016;94(8):e813–4.

11. Or C, Press N, Forooghian F. Acute retinal necrosis secondary to cytomegalovirus following successful treatment of cytomegalovirus anterior uveitis in an immunocompetent adult. Case Reports Can J Ophthalmol 2013;48(2):e18–20.

12. Tajunisah I, Reddy SC, Tan LH. Acute retinal necrosis by cytomegalovirus in an immunocompetent adult: case report and review of the literature. Int Ophthalmol 2009;29(2):85–90.

13. Shantha JG, Weissman HM, Debiec MR, Albini TA, Yeh S. Advances in the management of acute retinal necrosis. Int Ophthalmol Clin 2015;55(3):1–13.

14. Shiezadeh E, Hosseini SM, Bakhtiari E, Mojarrad A, Motamed Shariati M. Clinical characteristics and management outcomes of acute retinal necrosis. Sci Rep 2023;13(1):16927.

15. Kim SJ, Park SJ, Yu HG, Kim NJ, Jang HC, Oh MD. Ocular Manifestations of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome in Korea. J Korean Med Sci 2012;27(5):542–6.

Published

2026-05-21

How to Cite

1.
Azhar Z, Tafiya Erum Kamran, Haider Z, Faisal S, Inam R, Mehmood A, et al. CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-ASSOCIATED ACUTE RETINAL NECROSIS FOLLOWED BY RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT IN AN IMMUNOCOMPETENT MAN. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad [Internet]. 2026 May 21 [cited 2026 May 21];37(4). Available from: https://www.jamc.ayubmed.edu.pk/index.php/jamc/article/view/13704

Issue

Section

CASE REPORT