This patient’s fundus shows areas of white without pressure. Typically, there are bilateral peripheral geographic areas of whitish retinal discoloration.
Learning Points:
White without pressure (WWP) is a common benign peripheral finding, most often seen in darkly pigmented individuals. WWP gets its name because the area appears white without indentation, unlike scleral depression (white with pressure).
It can sometimes be confused with retinal breaks or detachment. The exact cause of this phenomenon is unknown. Historically, it was thought to be due to a change at the vitreoretinal interface, but more recent OCT findings show increased reflectivity in the outer retina (see Diaz et al, Retina 2014;34:1020-1021).
