Retinal necrosis after blunt bulbus trauma

Acute retinal necrosis is a rare complication of blunt eye injury. We report about a patient with this type of retinal break. A 20-year-old male was referred to our hospital after a blunt injury of his left eye due to a ball. Visual acuity was 1.0 and the anterior segment was completely normal. A large retinal necrosis surrounded by a Berlin edema was present in the upper temporal part of the globe. A partial retinal detachment was present. The retina reattached within two weeks without further treatment and a characteristic granular hyperpigmentation developed. The edge of the retinal break was treated by photocaogulation. The affected patient was young and had a solid vitreous, providing internal tamponade of the retina in spite of a large retinal break. In these patients, the clinical course of an acute retinal necrosis after blunt injury should be waited for. However, a retinal detachment that persists after retinal edema disappeared is caused by pathologic vitreous changes and requires surgical treatment.