New insights into acute annular outer retinopathy

Acute annular outer retinopathy is a rare entity. There are only a few cases in the world's literature. Our study is the first to describe the spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in the acute presentation of this disease and to follow the disease in convalescence.

This article is a descriptive case report. We used Spectralis OCT to image the transient intraretinal whitening that is initially seen in this disorder, and the OCT changes during follow-up.

Our article provides additional information about the natural history of this uncommon disease, and its varied presentation and prognosis. We were able to document the initial white line seen in the acute phase of the disease and correlate it anatomically by using OCT. We found hyperreflectivity in the outer nuclear layer and the Henle fiber layer along with marked atrophy of the outer retina within the white ring. We documented restoration of foveal photoreceptors, which corresponded with visual recovery. We also noted progressive atrophy in areas where the white ring was previously visible.

We describe a single case of acute annular outer retinopathy with the corresponding spectral domain OCT findings during the acute phase of the disease and during subsequent follow-up demonstrating progressive atrophy of the outer retina. This may shed insight into possible causation for this rare disease.