ABSTRACT
Sarcoidosis is an idiopathic, systemic, non-caseating, granulomatous disease with protean clinical manifestations. This disease is highly prevalent in the southern states of United States of America, especially among African-Americans, but uncommon among Asians. Though sarcoidosis concerns physicians of virtually all specialties, it is particularly important to ophthalmologists since a significant number of patients will seek initial medical examination because of ocular disease.
Out of the 262 cases of uveitis examined at the Singapore National Eye Centre over a period of two years, 9 cases were diagnosed as sarcoidosis. We report here 4 patients with active sarcoidosis who presented to us with ocular symptoms as the first and primary manifestation of the disease. All 4 patients developed symptoms and signs of systemic sarcoidosis at a later date. The ocular manifestations included simultaneous bilateral chronic granulomatous iridocyclitis, intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis characterised by vasculitis with candle wax drippings, and optic nerve head granuloma.Sarcoidosis is an idiopathic, systemic, non-caseating, granulomatous disease with protean clinical manifestations. Although the first description of sarcoidosis was attributed to Hutchinson, its ocular features received little attention until 1936 when Heerfordt’s syndrome of uveitis, salivary gland enlargement and cranial nerve palsies was recognised as a sign of sarcoidosis.
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