Author(s): Patrick Xiang Ji, Keyvan Koushan, Nirojini Sivachandran*
Objective: This retrospective review of case presentation from 2023 to 2024 reports a rare case of ARPE following confirmed COVID-19 infection in a healthy young female patient. Case presentation: A 19-year-old female with recent COVID-19 infection presented to the eye clinic with a two-week history of bilateral temporal scotomas. Detailed review of her medical history was unremarkable and comprehensive diagnostic workup returned results within normal limits. Imaging tests showed characteristic features of ARPE, including fine pigment stippling and depigmented macular halo from fundus photography, increased auto fluorescence corresponding to areas of hypopigmentation and spontaneous resolution from Fundus Autofluorescence (FAF) imaging and hyporeflective attenuations in the outer retina and Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) as seen from Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Conclusion: This was the first case report describing the temporal relationship between COVID-19 infection and ARPE in a healthy young adult. The findings here suggest to clinicians the possibility of considering ARPE within the differential diagnoses when seeing patients, particularly young adults, who are presenting with acute visual disturbances following a viral infection.
