Ocular Syphilis Complicated with HIV Infection: A Report of 3 Cases

Abstract

We present 3 cases of ocular syphilis in patients who had been newly diagnosed as having HIV. All the patients had only complained of ophthalmologic symptoms at the time of their initial visit. Treatment with penicillin was successful, resulting in no significant sequelae. Ocular syphilis may lead to reduced visual acuity or even blindness if left untreated. However, the diagnosis may be challenging, since patients may lack symptoms that are commonly observed in cases with primary and secondary syphilis. Considering the recent increase in the number of syphilis patients, clinicians should be aware of ocular syphilis and should have a high index of suspicion for syphilis in any patient at risk so as to ensure a prompt diagnosis.