Crystalline retinopathy

A 52-year-old Japanese woman had retinal crystalline deposits with atrophy of the pigment epithelium and choriocapillaris and pigment clumps in the periphery. The patient did not have corneal crystals. The crystals were seen biomicroscopically in all layers of the retina and on the retinal vessels. The diagnosis of crystalline retinopathy was made. The progressive nature of the disease was confirmed, based on a 9-year follow-up. The authors reviewed this condition in the Japanese literature and believe that crystalline retinopathy may not be as rare in the Orient as previously thought.