[Coat's type retinitis pigmentosa]

A twenty-two-year-old woman with a history of long-Standing retinitis pigmentosa and recently discovered bilateral exudative retinal detachments of the Coats' type is described. This widely unrecognized association has been reported to occur in up to 2% of patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Unlike the usual Coats' syndrome, it is more often bilateral, shows no sex preference and occurs in older individuals. Heightened awareness of this potentially treatable complication of retinitis pigmentosa may facilitate earlier recognition of the problem, which may lead to more timely treatment and a better prognosis.