Endogecnous panophthalmitis in a case of multiple myeloma and diabetes mellitus

Multiple myeloma cripples the human body in many ways, one of them being decreased immunity. Infections occurring spontaneously can increase the morbidity. We report a case of an elderly lady with multiple myeloma on treatment and uncontrolled diabetes, who developed loss of vision, swelling and redness of left eye of 4 days duration. There was no history of injury or entry of a foreign body. She also had left arm cellulitis. Ocular examination revealed visual acuity of 6/36 in right eye and no perception of light in left eye. Anterior segment of the right eye was insignificant while the left eye showed features suggestive of panophthalmitis. B scan revealed choroidal detachment and confirmed panophthalmitis. She underwent evisceration of the left eye. The cause of spontaneous infections is an immunocompromised state due to multiple myeloma and uncontrolled diabetes. This case report highlights the propensity of multiple myeloma to cause infections of the eye debilitating enough to cause severe visual morbidity.