CLINICAL FEATURES OF PUNCTATE INNER CHOROIDOPATHY IN CHINESE PATIENTS

Purpose: To characterize the clinical features of punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) in Chinese patients. Methods: A retrospective chart review of all patients admitted with PIC from June 1999 to October 2009. Results: Of the 75 patients (112 eyes) diagnosed with PIC, 72% were women, 80% were myopic, and 49% exhibited bilateral involvement. The mean age at presentation was 32 years. Blurred central vision (64%) and scotoma (40%) were the most common symptoms. Multifocal PIC lesions were mostly restricted to the posterior pole (95%). The acute lesions were yellow and demonstrated hyperfluorescence (61%) or mild hyperfluorescence (36%) on fluorescein angiography, mostly (75%) <200 mu m in diameter and <10 in number. Indocyanine angiography showed subclinical hypofluorescent spots in 32% of the affected eyes. Choroidal neovascularization developed in 63% of affected eyes. Papilledema (3%) and segmental retinal phlebitis (2%) were rare. Intact follow-up data of 27 patients (43 eyes) were available. Acute lesions turned into punched-out atrophic lesions within 3 months. New visible lesions developed in 5 eyes within 1 year after symptom onset. New choroidal neovascularization developed in five eyes. The mean best-corrected visual acuity significantly improved at last follow-up (P = 0.039). Conclusion: Punctate inner choroidopathy in Chinese is not rare and primarily affects young myopic women. It features multifocal, small, yellow lesions that develop within a short period, principally in the posterior pole, with subsequent atrophy. Complicated choroidal neovascularization is frequent. General visual prognosis is moderately good. RETINA 31: 1680-1691, 2011