title: Combined central retinal artery and vein occlusion in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and anti-phospholipid syndrome.
abstract: Combined central retinal artery occlusion and central retinal venous occlusion have been rarely reported in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and anti-phospholipid syndrome. The impact of this severe vaso-occlusive disease on vision is usually devastating and permanent in spite of vigorous treatment. We report herein a 35-year-old female patient displaying a transient and reversible process. Her best-corrected visual acuity improved from 6/60 to 6/8.6 1 day later, before the initiation of systemic corticosteroid and anticoagulant treatment. The retina regained a normal appearance with her vision recovering to 6/6 2 weeks after the episode of temporary vision loss. Her rapid recovery suggests that continued anti-coagulation therapy and close follow-up to prevent severe complications and recurrent thrombosis is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 11217, Taiwan.
authors.forename: P-C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: W-S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: H-Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: H-M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S-J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications*; D015356:Retinal Artery Occlusion / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D005938:Glucocorticoids