Pole to pole

Francesco Pellegrini; Maria Basciu; Julie Falardeau

doi:10.1016/j.survophthal.2023.05.002

Pole to pole

Surv Ophthalmol. 2023 Sep-Oct;68(5):1002-1005. doi: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2023.05.002. Epub 2023 May 18.

Authors

Francesco Pellegrini¹, Maria Basciu², Julie Falardeau³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, ASFO, Pordenone, Pordenone, Italy. Electronic address: francepellegrini@virgilio.it.
² Department of Anatomy and Histopathology, ASFO, Pordenone, Pordenone, Italy.
³ Department of Ophthalmology and Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.

PMID: 37207704
DOI: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2023.05.002

Abstract

An otherwise asymptomatic 67-year-old man presented to his ophthalmologist complaining of acute painless "dark area on the right." Visual acuity was preserved, and a single cotton-wool spot was noted in each retina. An inferior right quadrantanopia was evident on automated visual fields, and computerized tomography of the brain confirmed a left occipital stroke. Acute phase markers were elevated, and temporal artery biopsy was consistent with a diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. Isolated retinal cotton wool spots, even in the absence of systemic signs and symptoms, may be suggestive of giant cell arteritis.