Background: Interferon (IFN)-associated retinopathy is typically characterized by retinal hemorrhages and cotton wool spots at the posterior fundus, but visual function is usually maintained. With the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT), two patients with IFN-associated retinopathy who had developed macular edema and reduced visual acuity during the clinical course of IFN therapy were observed.
Cases: A 37-year-old man with chronic hepatitis C and a 59-year-old man with chronic myeloid leukemia, both of whom had received IFN therapy, were referred to our outpatient clinic. The former patient had complained once that his visual acuity had decreased after the termination of IFN therapy, and the latter patient complained twice during IFN therapy that his visual acuity had decreased.
Observations: In both patients, at the time of the visual disturbances, macular edema was clearly observed by OCT. Hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia were observed at this time also. After the remission of the hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia, the macular edema observed by OCT disappeared and visual acuity returned to normal.
Conclusion: During and after IFN therapy, OCT is a useful examination technique for revealing macular edema in patients who have decreased vision. Ophthalmologists should be aware of the ocular side effects of IFN therapy and carefully monitor patients for the possible occurrence of hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia. Jpn J Ophthalmol 2005;49:231-234 (c) Japanese Ophthalmological Society 2005.