The features of serous retinal detachment in preeclampsia viewed on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography

•Serous retinal detachment in preeclampsia is mostly bilateral and seen in primiparous women.•Spectral-domain OCT is a noninvasive method to observe the retina in pregnant women.•Macular detachment, SRF, abnormal ellipsoid zone, & Elschnig spots are signs of serous RD in preeclampsia. To evaluate the characteristics of serous retinal detachment on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in preeclampsia. In this retrospective case-series study, clinical characteristics of retinal damage were evaluated using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging. Thirty affected eyes from 16 pregnant women with preeclampsia were included. The features of serous retinal detachment, observed using SD-OCT, consisted of lesions located in the macular or peripapillary region; the presence of intraretinal or subretinal fluid (intraretinal fluid, IRF; subretinal fluid, SRF); ellipsoid zone integrity (normal/abnormal); intraretinal hyper-reflective dots; and Elschnig spots (retinal pigment epithelium lesions). Of the 30 affected eyes, 25 (83.33%) had lesions located in the macular region, 19 (63.33%) outside the macula (in the peripapillary region), and 14 (46.67%) in both. SD-OCT showed IRF in 2 eyes (6.67%), SRF in 30 eyes (100.00%), and both in 2 eyes (6.67%). The ellipsoid zone was disrupted in 20 eyes (66.67%), intraretinal hyper-reflective dots were observed in 4 eyes (13.33%), and Elschnig spots were observed in 20 eyes (66.67%). Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography is a non-invasive, reliable imaging tool for the assessment of retinal pathologies in preeclampsia.