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Published on: May 26, 2023
Optical coherence tomography findings in welder's maculopathy
Raj S Lucas1, C Alex Harper, Mark F McCombe
1From the *Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital and the †Centre for Eye Research Australia, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; and the ‡Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kansas Medical School, Kansas City, Kansas, and the §US Army Laser/Optical Radiation Program, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, USA.
Purpose:
To describe the optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in two patients with welder's maculopathy.
Methods:
Retrospective cases series. In addition to examination by slit lamp biomicroscopy, color fundus photographs and OCT images were obtained from patients with welder's maculopathy.
Results:
Both patients had a history of bilateral decreased central vision after welding without appropriate eye protection. Yellowish foveal spots developed in the acute stage, evolving over several months into well demarcated lamellar foveal defects with surrounding retinal pigment epithelium changes. OCT showed interruption of the inner high reflective layer (HRL) corresponding to the level of the outer neurosensory retina. These appearances are similar to those seen in solar maculopathy.
Conclusions:
OCT shows disruption of the inner HRL in late welder's maculopathy. These appearances are similar to those seen in late solar maculopathy. OCT can be a useful tool in confirming the diagnosis and understanding the pathogenesis of photic maculopathy.
