This healthy 23YO male was referred for bilateral asymptomatic retinal lesions. Scattered patches of grouped subretinal depigmented lesions resembling bear tracks are noted in each eye.
Learning Points:
These congenital albinotic spots of the retinal pigment epithelium or “polar bear tracks” are sharply circumscribed chalky white lesions with similar size and shape. They appear to be at the level of the RPE with a “dimpled” appearance due to increased white pigmentation at their periphery.
The composition of this white pigmentation is not known, and the lesions are not associated with any other ocular or systemic disorders. For a great reference for focal congenital RPE anomalies, see Gass, Eye 1989;3:1-18.
