Peripapillary Retinal Haemorrhages in Wernicke's Encephalopathy Following Bariatric Surgery in a Young Patient

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome resulting from thiamine deficiency (vitamin B₁). It is characterised classically by a triad of ophthalmoplegia, confusion, and ataxia. WE is classically associated with alcoholism but increasingly has been observed due to other causes, particularly in undernourished post-bariatric surgery patients. Herein, we describe a case of WE following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in a young male patient who presented with binocular horizontal diplopia and was found to have preretinal peripapillary haemorrhages. This case raises the awareness that posterior segment findings can occur in WE but have been under-reported previously.