Case Study: Resolving Diagnostic Uncertainties in the Clinical Presentation of Ocular Tuberculosis

In the developing countries, incidence of systemic tuberculosis is very high, with over 8 million new cases each year. The incidence of tuberculous uveitis is also rising correspondingly. It is difficult to diagnose ocular tuberculosis because of the lack of specific ocular findings and specific confirmatory laboratory tests. However, in a developing country like India, where the prevalence of latent tuberculosis is high, uveitis of unexplained cause not fitting into known uveitis entities, in presence of Monteux positivity, is more likely to be tubercular in origin. Hence, early diagnosis and prompt treatment with antitubercular treatment may result in dramatic drop in recurrence and improve individual patient outcomes.