Choroidal Hemorrhage

This patient presented with a pigmented, well-defined, and irregularly lumpy superior subretinal mass due to a suprachoroidal hemorrhage. This simulated a uveal melanoma.

Unfortunately, we don’t have any further information or images for this patient. However, we suspect that the blood spontaneously resolved with normalization of the fundus appearance.

Learning Points:
Patients presenting with suprachoroidal hemorrhage will usually have a history of recent intraocular surgery, trauma, or Valsalva. A clinical clue to this being a hemorrhage and not a melanoma includes the often somewhat lumpy and corrugated appearance, as in this patient.

See Chu and Green for a good review of suprachoroidal hemorrhage (Surv Ophthalmol 1999;43:471-486).

This patient presented with unilateral subretinal and suprachoroidal hemorrhages from a fall 1 month earlier causing blunt facial trauma.

Vision was normal and she was asymptomatic. She is being followed without treatment.

Learning Points:

There will likely be at least one choroidal rupture visible as the overlying blood clears over time. Subretinal blood following blunt trauma virtually always indicates the presence of an underlying choroidal rupture.