Lipemia Retinalis in a Patient with Diabetic Retinopathy

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report a case of lipemia retinalis in a patient with diabetes. CASE SUMMARY: A 27-year-old female with type 2 diabetes visited our clinic with visual disturbance in her left eye while being followed up from a pars plana vitrectomy in her right eye for proliferative diabetic retinopathy. On fundus examination of both eyes, the retinal vessels were creamy white and the retinal veins were undistinguishable from the retinal arteries. The serum triglyceride level was 2,676 mg/dL. The patient was asymptomatic except for visual impairment due to vitreous hemorrhage in her left eye. The patient was diagnosed with lipemia retinalis and chylomicronemia syndrome. After controlling the triglyceride level, funduscopic findings in the both eyes were improved. However, the visual acuity in her right eye remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Lipemia retinalis can be a sign of a systemic condition although it may not affect visual acuity. Fundus examination may be a useful tool in the early diagnosis of hyperlipidemia.