This patient was hit in the eye with a soccer ball and developed outer retinal whitening due to shearing of the outer segments. OCT reveals subfoveal ellipsoid zone (EZ) disruption and hyperreflectivity.
The retinal whitening usually disappears within a few weeks due to regeneration of the photoreceptors
Learning Points:
Commotio retinae follows direct blunt eye trauma. Large areas of peripheral commotio may be associated with an increased risk for retinal detachment.
In some cases, the photoreceptors are permanently damaged, allowing RPE cells to migrate into the retina along capillaries, giving a pseudo-retinitis pigmentosa appearance.
The term, Berlin’s edema, is a misnomer and should not be used, since the retina is not edematous.
