Amidst the ongoing syphilis "epidemic" in the U.S., doctors are encountering an uptick in patients exhibiting unusual vision and eye symptoms due to the sexually transmitted infection.
A January 2024 CDC report highlighted that over 207,000 Americans received a syphilis diagnosis, marking the highest number reported since the 1950s.
Syphilis, a bacterial infection primarily transmitted through sexual contact, typically manifests as painless sores that facilitate disease transmission. Despite its often subtle presentation, seeking medical attention is crucial to prevent progression to more severe stages, as emphasized by the CDC.
When left untreated, syphilis can lead to ocular syphilis, characterized by various eye symptoms. These may include redness, eye floaters (spots in vision), eye pain, sensitivity to light, abnormal eye movements, blurred vision or vision loss, eye lesions, and painless sores on the eyelid, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
During the 2024 Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference on April 24, researchers unveiled a new study indicating over two dozen cases exhibiting such symptoms in Chicago the previous year, with a third of these cases still in the early infection stages, as reported by CNN.
While vision loss can be a symptom associated with syphilis, it typically emerges in later stages. Dr. Amy Nham, the lead study author affiliated with the Chicago Department of Public Health, stressed the importance of heightened provider vigilance and screening in response to the observed trends.
According to the study, the most commonly reported symptoms by patients were headache, personality changes, altered mental status, and eye problems such as vision loss, light sensitivity, or eye swelling, as reported by the outlet.
“They’re not the most specific symptoms, which is why it’s really important that providers are doing appropriate screening and asking patients for risk factors,” Nham emphasized.
In addition, a CDC case report published in November 2023 disclosed a cluster of five cases of ocular syphilis in Michigan, all linked to a common male sexual partner.
The affected women, aged 40-60, were diagnosed with ocular syphilis after experiencing symptoms including blurred vision, headache, hearing loss, double vision, eye floaters, and light sensitivity.
“Patients are very surprised, and most of the lay public doesn’t think of syphilis involving the eye,” commented Dr. Rahul Khurana, spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, to TODAY. “Untreated syphilis in the eye is devastating because it can lead to blindness.”
Khurana emphasized that patients are typically treated with an intravenous antibiotic for 10 to 14 days alongside an anti-inflammatory medication. He urged eye doctors to maintain a “high index of suspicion” and consider syphilis as a possible cause when patients present with any form of eye inflammation.
"With the incidence of STDs and syphilis on the rise in the community, I think everyone should be aware of it," Khurana further underscored.
The Quran - Chapter Al-Ahqaf : 19 - 20
Each ˹of the two groups˺ will be ranked according to what they have done so He may fully reward all. And none will be wronged.
˹Watch for˺ the Day ˹when˺ the disbelievers will be exposed to the Fire. ˹They will be told,˺ “You ˹already˺ exhausted your ˹share of˺ pleasures during your worldly life, and ˹fully˺ enjoyed them. So Today you will be rewarded with the torment of disgrace for your arrogance throughout the land with no right, and for your rebelliousness.”
The Truth appears before a man, but, unwilling to relinquish worldly goals and material gain, he rejects it.
This means that he sets worldly interests above the exigencies of the Hereafter; he wants to pursue the attractions of this world rather than seek the good things of the afterlife.
Then, when he is required to demolish the structure of self-aggrandisement in order to accept the Truth, he prefers to reject it, so as to save his empty prestige: after all, he relishes the feeling of being a great man.
At that point, in effect, he shows his preference for the enticements of this world over the blessings of the Hereafter, treating them as unworthy of consideration.
