Oral therapy in diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis
J. D. Gass, D. G. Callanan and C. B. Bowman
Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, Fla.
Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis is an endemic disease associated
with severe visual loss in the southeastern and midwestern United States
and the Caribbean. It is caused by a single nematode that may wander in the
subretinal space for many months or years. Until recently, the only
effective treatment has involved the difficult and time-consuming
biomicroscopic detection of the worm followed by photocoagulation. This
report describes the use of oral thiabendazole in four patients with
presumed diffuse, unilateral, subacute neuroretinitis. Serial fundus
photography was used to detect evidence of early destruction of the worm.
