A 52-year-old man came perilously close to permanent blindness after a syphilis infection attacked both of his eyes, serving as a stark warning about the catastrophic vision loss this sexually transmitted disease can cause.
Rapid Vision Deterioration
According to a medical report from doctors in Bulgaria, the unnamed patient, described as 'promiscuous', experienced such rapid sight loss that within a single month of his first vision symptoms, he could only perceive light in his right eye. He was diagnosed with ocular syphilis, a consequence of the sexually transmitted bacterial infection travelling to his eyes and triggering severe inflammation.
The condition, known as panuveitis, causes severe inflammation affecting the entire interior of the eye and is estimated to affect around 14,000 Americans. It typically emerges when the underlying STD goes untreated. An examination revealed the extensive damage: dense floaters clouded his vision, his retina was swollen, and the inflammation in his right eye was so severe that his optic nerve was completely obscured.
Diagnosis and Aggressive Treatment
The patient first attended the University Hospital in Pleven, Bulgaria, on July 3, 2024, for a concerning genital rash accompanied by burning and itching. Doctors immediately noted a rash with red bumps and pustules on his scalp and groin, along with scaly red patches on his torso. He also reported his declining eyesight.
Blood tests quickly confirmed a syphilis infection. The man's vision loss had started gradually in his right eye before affecting his left, worsening significantly over the following month. He was started on an aggressive treatment of intravenous penicillin and steroids for a week, followed by a series of five weekly penicillin shots to ensure the bacteria were eradicated.
An eye specialist gave him a secondary diagnosis of syphilitic panuveitis. His vision was extremely poor; he could only perceive light in his right eye and had extremely blurry vision in his left. Doctors determined that the IV antibiotics would also address the severe eye infection and prescribed antibiotic-steroid eye drops for pain and inflammation.
Road to Recovery and a Wider Warning
After one week of treatment, his vision improved slightly. It went from only seeing light to 20/2000 in his right eye and 20/200 in his left—measurements indicating profoundly poor vision to near-total blindness. His treatment was adjusted over the following months, including anti-inflammatory eye drops and a steroid injection around his more severely affected right eye.
Over a 14-week follow-up period, the patient made a remarkable recovery. His vision improved to 20/25 in the right eye, leaving only a slight blur, and a perfect 20/20 in the left. The only lingering side effect was moderate sensitivity to light. The dense floaters cleared within two months and the swelling of his optic nerve resolved.
This case highlights a dangerous facet of a wider problem. Syphilis has been a major driver in a nationwide increase in sexually transmitted infections. Blood tests confirmed an infection that affects about 200,000 Americans each year, with cases in the US soaring by over 50 percent since 2020. According to the most recent CDC data, syphilis rates reached a peak in 2023, hitting a rate of 62.5 per 100,000 people.
Furthermore, congenital syphilis, passed from mother to baby, is the fastest-growing and most concerning facet of the US epidemic, with cases skyrocketing by 83 percent over the past five years.
