POSTINFECTIOUS NONPARANEOPLASTIC AUTOIMMUNE RETINOPATHY IN THE PEDIATRIC AGE GROUP: A HIGH INDEX OF SUSPICION, MULTIMODAL IMAGING AND EARLY TREATMENT CAN RESTORE VISION.

PURPOSE

To report a case of nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy in a pediatric patient who showed excellent visual recovery with early diagnosis and prompt treatment.

METHODS

Retrospective case report.

RESULTS

A 5-year-old girl presented to us with bilateral profound vision loss of subacute onset after an episode of high fever, without any previous visual abnormality. A diagnosis of nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy was made based on history, clinical findings, and multimodal imaging. IV methylprednisolone was started urgently followed by oral steroid. The visual acuity showed good improvement along with gradual restoration of anatomy of retinal layers in optical coherence tomography over a period of 3 months.

CONCLUSION

Our case highlights the importance of suspecting nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy in pediatric patients presenting with sudden bilateral painless progressive loss of vision without prior visual difficulties and the role of multimodal imaging to aid in diagnosis. The recovery of vision with restoration of the photoreceptor layer also shows the nature of the disease to recover with early intervention despite a negative antiretinal antibody test but with features highly suggestive of nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy.