Reactivation of Acute Retinal Necrosis following SARS-CoV-2 Infection

• Published in: Case reports in ophthalmological medicine Vol. 2021; p. 7336488
• Main Authors: Gonzalez, Monica P, Rios, Radames, Pappaterra, Mariella, Hernandez, Miguel, Toledo, Allison, Santos, Carmen, Emanuelli, Andres, Kurup, Shree K, Oliver, Armando L
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 01-01-2021
• ISSN: 2090-6722
• DOI: 10.1155/2021/7336488

PURPOSETo report on a case of reactivation of acute retinal necrosis following SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODSObservational case report. Observations. A 32-year-old female with a distant history of left retinal detachment secondary to necrotizing herpetic retinitis complained of right-eye vision loss, pain, redness, and photophobia. An ophthalmological examination revealed findings consistent with acute retinal necrosis of the right eye. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the right vitreous was positive for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) screening test using reverse transcriptase- (RT-) PCR was positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. CONCLUSIONSOur case suggests that COVID-19 may cause a latent HSV infection to reactivate, causing contralateral involvement in patients with a prior history of HSV-associated acute retinal necrosis.