Oxalate retinopathy: an experimental model of a flecked retina

The clinical picture resembling fundus albipunctatus was seen to develop in rabbits following subcutaneous injection with dibutyl oxalate. On histologic examination, the flecks were found to be due to intracellular accumulation of calcium oxalate in the RPE cells. The clinical and histologic features of this animal model closely resemble the recently described entity of oxalate retinopathy in humans which was seen in the presence of high circulating oxalate levels. It is suggested that the presence of metabolic disorders or toxicity which are known to cause oxalate depositions should be sought in patients with fundus albipunctatus.