Purtscher's retinopathy secondary to pancreatitis. Aspects of the topography of retinal abnormalities.

A 22-year-old man with acute pancreatitis developed sudden bilateral blindness with funduscopic features of Purtscher's retinopathy. The topography of retinal abnormalities has been ascribed to the properties of the retinal capillary network. However, the similarity between the distribution of the retinal abnormalities and the density of the nerve fiber layer suggests that the observed topography may, in fact, result from the anatomical characteristics of the nerve fiber layer.