Abstract

Purtscher’s retinopathy is a microvasculopathy that has been well documented but poorly understood. The earliest case was reported by Otmar Purtscher in 1910, which described a man who suffered cranial trauma after falling out of a tree. The current incidence of Purtscher’s retinopathy is estimated at 0.24 persons per million per year [1]. When identified, Purtscher’s is most commonly seen in young men in the setting of trauma [2]. Seat belt trauma associated with motor vehicle accidents leading to Purtscher’s retinopathy has been reported in several papers. However, only one previous case of Purtscher’s retinopathy associated with traumatic optic neuropathy has been attributed to airbag injury [3-7].