Uveomeningeal syndrome presenting with bilateral optic disc edema and multiple evanescent white dots syndrome (MEWDS)

Abstract

Purpose: To report a uveomeningeal syndrome with bilateral optic disc edema and a MEWDS-like presentation. Observations: A 17-year-old female experienced daily fevers for 3 days (ranging from 101.4 F to 102 F), then received the first dose of the Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 vaccine nearly three weeks later. Within two days she experienced severe headaches with severity scale of 8/10. Retinal imaging at the time showed optic disc edema in both eyes (OU) and multifocal well-circumscribed chorioretinal white lesions in the periphery OU. Neuroimaging and routine infectious and inflammatory laboratory testing were normal. Lumbar puncture showed elevated opening pressure and cerebrospinal pleocytosis consistent with an aseptic meningitis. At follow up, one month later the symptoms and retinal findings resolved. Conclusions: MEWDS is typically an idiopathic condition but can occur in the setting of viral illness. Although other white dot syndromes have been associated with uveomeningeal presentations, to our knowledge this is the first such case to be described in the English language ophthalmic literature.

Keywords

• MEWDS
• White dots syndrome
• COVID