Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Retinal Pathophysiological Evaluation in a Rat Model
Published on: May 6, 2022
NONPARANEOPLASTIC AUTOIMMUNE RETINOPATHY VERSUS PERICENTRAL RETINAL DEGENERATION PHENOTYPE: WHICH CAME FIRST? A CASE
Cristina M Garcia1,2,3, Arash Maleki1,2, Sydney Look-Why1,2
1Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution, Waltham, Massachusetts.
Purpose:
To report a case of nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy with phenotypical features of pericentral retinal degeneration (PRD) who responded to IV immunoglobulin therapy.
Methods:
A case report. A 27-year-old man presented with recent subacute progressive nyctalopia and photopsia.
Results:
Dilated fundoscopy demonstrated confluent yellow-white patches along the main temporal vascular arcades with sparing of the central island in the posterior pole. Color vision, fundus autofluorescence, fluorescein angiography, static visual field, and electroretinographic studies were inconclusive for retinal degeneration. Subsequent genetic testing for known mutations was negative. Workup for paraneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy was negative. Antiretinal antibodies were positive. The patient was diagnosed with nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy and was treated with IV immunoglobulin, which resulted in objective and subjective improvement on electroretinography, visual field, and optical coherence tomography of the retina.
Conclusion:
Nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy may present in a patient with the clinical phenotype of PRD. It is essential to rule out nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy in patients with subacute changes in the natural course of pericentral retinal degeneration because treatment with IV immunoglobulin may be helpful.
