Retinal Detachment in Preeclampsia

• Main Authors: Prado Renata Silva do, Figueiredo Estêvão Lanna, Magalhães Télcia Vasconcelos Barros
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia (SBC) 2002-01-01
• Series: Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0066-782X2002001100011

Preeclampsia is an obstetric disease of unknown cause that affects approximately 5% of pregnant women. The visual system may be affected with variable intensity, being the retinal detachment a rare complication. The retinal detachment in preeclampsia is usually bilateral and serous, and its pathogenesis is related to the choroidal ischemia secondary to an intense arteriolar vasospasm. The majority of patients have complete recovery of vision with clinical management, and surgery is unnecessary. This is a case report of a 27 year old patient who developed the severe form of preeclampsia on her first pregnancy. She had progressive blurred vision, until she could see only shadows. Ophthalmic examination diagnosed spread and bilateral retinal detachment. With blood pressure control at postpartum, the patient had her retina reattached, and recovery of vision.