Ocular syphilis, “the great pretender”
Keywords:
ocular syphilis, syphilis, neurosyphilis.Abstract
Introduction: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum. Recent reports from different regions of the world suggest that ocular syphilis is re-emerging, in parallel with the increasing incidence of systemic infection globally.
Objective: To deepen the knowledge on syphilis and especially ocular syphilis found in the specialized literature.
Methods: The articles consulted were mainly from the last 5 years, in Spanish and English, available in full text. The databases consulted were PubMed, SciELO and Google academic.
Conclusions: Ocular syphilis can present at any stage of the disease and mimic different ocular inflammatory conditions, so it should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of any uveitis. Prompt treatment of these patients can minimize visual damage but its diagnosis is often a challenge for the ophthalmologist.
