Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Published on: May 26, 2023
SCLEROCHOROIDAL CALCIFICATION WITH OPTIC NERVE CALCIFICATION IN A PATIENT WITH PRIMARY HYPERPARATHYROIDISM AND SEVERE
Shefali Sood1, Scott Friedman2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.; and.
Background/Purpose:
To present a case of sclerochoroidal calcification (SCC) associated with dural calcification along the optic nerves and severe visual loss.
Methods:
Case report.
Results:
A 74-year-old white female patient with a 25-year history of primary hyperparathyroidism and surgical removal of a single parathyroid gland presented with blurred vision. On presentation, she had a calcium level of 12.6 mg/dL (reference range: 8.7-10.3 mg/dL). Her best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/40 in both eyes, and she was diagnosed with bilateral SCC. After 2 years, the patient returned with a complaint of progressive vision loss, and the BCVA was 20/150 in the right eye and hand motion in the left eye. She had stable focal SCC on fundus examination with no significant changes from the previous examination. The fluorescein angiogram was unremarkable with no leakage. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the macula showed no edema or subretinal fluid and was not significantly changed from the first OCT. B-scan showed areas of calcification in the sclera consistent with the SCC. Computerized tomography (CT) scans showed dural calcifications along both optic nerves. She had no enlargement of SCC lesions and no other ocular or neurologic pathology associated with her vision loss.
Conclusion:
We present a patient with bilateral SCC and associated calcification in both globes. Unlike previous reports of SCC, our case demonstrated progressive severe vision loss because of dural calcification along the optic nerves. Patients with SCC and decreased vision should receive a CT scan to look for this rare associated finding.
Related Concept Videos
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways
Glaucoma: Overview
Open Angle Glaucoma: Treatment
Drugs such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, α2- and...
Angle Closure Glaucoma: Treatment
The Parathyroid Glands
Oxyphil cells, whose functions remain elusive, emerge during late puberty, adding a layer of complexity to the parathyroid gland's intricacies. In contrast, principal parathyroid cells undertake a vital role by...

