Central serous chorioretinopathy secondary to corticosteroids in patients with atopic disease

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is of unknown etiology and is the most common cause of retinopathy after age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion. Vision loss results from fluid leakage and serous detachment in the macula. Five percent of patients develop chronic CSCR. It is predominantly found in middle-aged men (age-adjusted rates per 100,000: 9.9 for men and 1.7 for women) and is usually unilateral and reversible. Three-quarters of CSCR patients resolve within 3 months but 45% have recurrences, usually with only minor visual acuity changes. Risk factors include type A personality, emotional stress, elevated catecholamines, hypertension, pregnancy, organ transplantation, increased levels of endogenous cortisol, psychopharmacologic medication, use of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, obstructive sleep apnea, Helicobacter pylori infection, or treatment with corticosteroids. Five percent of patients develop chronic disease as a result of subretinal fibrin formation within the blister. CSCR is often bilateral, multifocal, and recurrent, and may be associated with subretinal fibrin formation within the blister. Permanent loss of vision may result from subretinal fibrin-fibrosis with scarring of the macula. Corticosteroid-associated CSCR occurs bilaterally in 20% of patients. Steroid-associated therapy may begin days to years after therapy with any form of drug delivery. We present three atopic patients who presented at various times after oral, inhaled, intranasal, and topical corticosteroid therapy. One patient developed CSCR after three separate types of administration of corticosteroids, which, to our knowledge, has not been observed in the literature.