LENS ABSCESS

Course overview

LENS ABSCESS OR INTRALENTICULAR ABSCESS IS A RARE OCULAR PATHOLOGY SEEN AFTER BLUNT OR PENETRATING OCULAR TRAUMA, ROUTINE CATARACT SURGERY, OR METASTATIC INFECTION. THE PATIENT USUALLY PRESENTS WITH PAIN, REDNESS, AND ACUTE REDUCTION IN VISUAL ACUITY. ON SLIT LAMP EXAMINATION, IT APPEARS AS HETEROGENOUS LENTICULAR OPACITY. IT IS IMPERATIVE TO DELINEATE THE ABSCESS AND REMOVE IT FROM THE CAPSULAR BAG TO PREVENT CHRONIC ENDOPHTHALMITIS. IT IS ALSO NECESSARY TO DIFFERENTIATE LENS ABSCESSES FROM TRAUMATIC CATARACTS AS THE MANAGEMENT AND PROGNOSIS DIFFER IN THE TWO CASES. THE TOOLS AVAILABLE TO DIAGNOSE A LENS ABSCESS ARE ULTRASOUND B SCAN, ANTERIOR SEGMENT OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY (ASOCT), AND ULTRASOUND BIOMICROSCOPY (UBM). THE MANAGEMENT OF THESE CASES IS LENS ASPIRATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE INFECTIVE FOCI.