Health Officials Warning Of Incidents Of Ocular Syphilis Along West Coast
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles County health officials are warning doctors to be on the lookout for patients reporting unusual vision problems, after clusters of syphilis that cause blindness have been reported on the West Coast.
The Los Angeles Daily News reported Monday that since December there have been eight confirmed cases of ocular syphilis in San Francisco and six in Washington state.
Two possible cases are under investigation in Los Angeles County.
Officials say the sexually transmitted disease mostly occurs among men who have sex with men.
Symptoms of ocular syphilis include blurred vision, eye pain and seeing floating spots.
Dr. Stephanie Cohen, medical director for San Francisco City Clinic, says one patient in that city lost vision in one eye.