ACUTE MULTIFOCAL INNER RETINITIS

Two patients developed acute changes in vision two to four weeks after a febrile illness. On ophthalmic examination, each patient had bilateral vitreitis without anterior segment inflammation and multiple, bilateral, round, yellow-white inner retinal lesions that were located in the posterior pole and midperiphery. Laboratory tests did not contribute to a diagnosis. Symptomatic visual loss was caused by neuroretinitis and serous retinal detachment in one patient and by an occluded branch retinal artery in the other. The multi-focal retinal lesions resolved gradually without treatment over several months with minimal or no residual retinal changes. Acute multifocal inner retinal lesions may be associated with a preceding nonspecific viral illness and may cause a sudden change in vision if associated with neuroretinitis, serous retinal detachment, or retinal vessel occlusion. We have termed this constellation of ophthalmic findings acute multifocal inner retinitis.