Abstract

P 179

Solar retinopathy: retinal damage and its recovery over time followed with spectral domain optical coherence tomography

Roman Greslechner, Tina Dietrich, Horst Helbig, Agnes B. Renner
Universitäts-Augenklinik, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Regensburg

Background
Solar retinopathy is caused by sun gazing resulting in bilateral loss of visual acuity, central scotoma and a small yellowish lesion in the fovea. The retinal injury, thought to be a photochemical effect, can be reversible. We present detailed retinal images of a case of solar retinopathy, including spectral domain optical coherence tomography (sdOCT) and fundus autofluorescence (FAF) images.
Methods
Clinical examination of a twelve years old female patient including ophthalmoscopy, perimetry (central 10 degrees), sdOCT and FAF (Heidelberg Engineering, Germany). Re-examinations were performed during a follow-up of six weeks.
Results
The patient reported of visual loss and central scotoma since two days, both immediately appearing after gazing at the sun for several seconds wearing sunglasses. At the first examination, both eyes presented with a visual acuity of 0.8 and with a small yellowish lesion in the very center of the fovea. Visual field was normal. SdOCT revealed irregularities in the retinal pigment epithelium, the level of the outer and inner photoreceptor segment and the outer nuclear layer. The continuity of all these retinal layers appeared to be interrupted in the foveola. FAF seemed to be normal. During a time period of 6 weeks, the patient reported of increasing visual acuity and diminishing of the central scotoma. The foveal lesions dissolved almost completely. In sdOCT images, a reorganization of the retinal layers could be recognized. At the final examination FAF was slightly reduced in the foveola.
Conclusions
SdOCT allows an exact localization of the pathological processes in the retinal layers occurring in solar retinopathy. Abnormalities were found in all cell layers in the very center of the fovea. During few weeks, these changes were reversible

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