Acute unilateral vision loss with optic disc oedema in retinitis pigmentosa

A 36-year-old woman presented with acute vision loss and was found to have disc oedema and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). She presented with a history of acute, painless vision loss in her left eye over a period of 10 days. Her best-corrected visual acuity was 20/50, N6 in the right eye (OD) and 20/160, N6 in the left eye (OS). She was found to have a swollen optic disc and the examination of her fundus showed changes suggestive of RP. The diagnosis of RP was confirmed by electroretinogram, and after ruling out demyelinating changes in the central nervous system and other possible infectious causes of papillitis, she was treated with intravenous steroids followed by a course of oral steroid therapy. Following treatment, her visual acuity improved to 20/60. Acute vision loss may occur in patients with RP and prompt steroid therapy may result in partial visual recovery.