Secondary hyperhomocysteinemia-related occlusive retinal vasculopathy: A case report

Abstract

Purpose: To report a case of occlusive retinal vasculopathy, secondary to hyperhomocysteinemia. Observations: A 43-year-old male was examined at the retina outpatient clinic due to complaints of bilateral decrease in visual acuity. The patient underwent a comprehensive ophthalmological examination, wide-field fundus photographs and fluorescein angiography, as well as spectral domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced-deep imaging. The patient had a significant medical history of chronic kidney disease and progressive bilateral vision loss over the last two years, which worsened in the left eye during the past 3 months. Fundus examination revealed a vitreous hemorrhage in the left eye and bilateral proliferative retinopathy. Blood glucose and systemic blood pressure were unremarkable. Plasma homocysteine was reported at >500 μmol/L, which is higher than the corrected reference range by age. Conclusion and Importance: Hyperhomocysteinemia is a rare but well-known disease, capable of accelerating atherosclerotic disease and generating a prothrombotic state that can lead to multiple systemic complications. Despite its low incidence, the disease should be part of the differential diagnosis in patients with bilateral proliferative retinopathy, in the absence of diabetes mellitus and systemic hypertension. Keywords: Atherosclerosis, Chronic kidney disease, Hyperhomocysteinemia, Occlusive retinal vasculopathy, Proliferative retinopathy