This patient’s blood vessels appear milky and possibly occluded, although fluorescein angiography is normal.
A tube of blood drawn from both the patient and a much younger 25YO future founder of Retina Rocks (in his first year of ophthalmology residency) is displayed for comparison. The patient’s blood shows increased lipid content.
Learning Points:
Lipemia retinalis is a rare manifestation of severe hypertriglyceridemia. The blood vessels, and sometimes the entire posterior pole, may appear milky or even salmon-colored.
Patients are asymptomatic, and vision is normal. However, they are at obvious cardiovascular risk without systemic treatment.
