Paracentral Acute Middle Maculopathy Mimicking Retrobulbar Optic Neuropathy

Abstract

A 70-year-old woman presented with acute awareness of decreased color vision in her right eye. Fundus examination and a flash electroretinography (ERG) were both normal. A multifocal ERG (mfERG) however revealed foveal depression, and thinning of inner nuclear layer was noted on macular optical coherence tomography (OCT), and a diagnosis of resolved paracentral acute middle maculopathy was made. Clinicians should be aware of the complementary role of OCT and mfERG in unexplained acute central visual loss to distinguish retinal from neuroophthalmic etiologies. Structural ocular imaging with OCT shows features of inner, middle, and outer retinal localizations to the visual loss.