Hemorrhagic retinopathy in a patient with cystic fibrosis

A 21-year-old woman with a history of chronic lung disease secondary to cystic fibrosis (CF) developed an acute hemorrhagic retinopathy during exposure to moderately high altitude. Although retinal hemorrhages are known to occur in patients with CF, we speculate that the retinopathy in this case was partially related to altitudinal change and that patients with chronic hypoxemia may be predisposed to high-altitude retinopathy at much lower altitudes.