This 51YO male’s retinal vasculature turned creamy white from very high triglycerides. His original triglyceride levels were around 4,200 mg/dL.
After 6 months of systemic treatment, his triglyceride levels decreased to 3,100 mg/dL. His blood returned to a normal red color, and his retinal vessels normalized in appearance.
Learning Points:
Lipemia retinalis is a rare retinal manifestation of severe hypertriglyceridemia, characterized by creamy white discoloration of the retinal vasculature. In severe cases, the fundus can turn salmon-colored.
Patients are asymptomatic, and vision is normal. However, they are at obvious cardiovascular risk without systemic treatment.
