Intraocular hemorrhage developing during interferon therapy.

A 43-year-old man with chronic active hepatitis C was treated with interferon-beta (IFN-beta) at a dosage of 6 x 10(6) IU/day for a planned 6-week period. Ocular hyperemia, ophthalmalgia, and increased intraocular pressure in the right eye developed 20 days after the start of treatment. Intraocular pressure remained high, even after discontinuation of IFN therapy, laser therapy, and iridectomy. Two days later, the right eye was removed because perforation had occurred. The ocular symptoms that developed in this case were thought to have been caused and exacerbated by IFN administration.