Abstract

Pre-eclampsia is defined as hypertension after 20 weeks of pregnancy associated with specific target organ damage. The disease may be associated with different visual complaints, starting before, during or after labour, which result from retinal, optical nerve or cortical complications. The presented report describes a case of blurred vision in a 24-year-old pregnant woman, whose visual complaints began three days before delivery. After being admitted to the hospital for high blood pressure and proteinuria at 38 weeks of gestation, a diagnose of pre-eclampsia was made and labour was induced. Evaluation at the Ophthalmology Department revealed multiple bilateral serous retinal detachments, associated with massive subretinal and intraretinal macular fluid. After proper control of high blood pressure, symptoms began to improve and patient’s visual acuity recovered, along with complete reabsorption of subretinal and intraretinal fluid. Pre-eclampsia is a serious medical condition with potential visual complications that requires prompt diagnosis and management. Timely recognition is crucial to prevent irreversible organ damage that might lead to neonatal or maternal death.

Keywords:Hypertensive chorioretinopathy; Pre-eclampsia; Pregnancy; Retinal detachment; Hypertension

Abbreviations:BCVA: Best corrected visual acuity; FA: Fluorescein angiography; ICGA: Indocyanine Green Angiography; OCT: Optical Coherence Tomography; RAPD: Relative Afferent Pupillary Defect; RPE: Retinal Pigment Epithelium