Background: Leukemias are a group of malignant diseases caused by immature hematopoietic cells proliferating in the blood marrow. Some manifestations result from ocular-orbital involvement, which usually occurs through the central nervous system. Other manifestations stem from vasculopathy and/or hemorheologic disorders (anemia, thrombocytopenia, hyperviscosity).
Observation: We report a case of a 42-year-old women presenting with loss of vision caused by serous macular detachment. The investigations showed the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Steroids and chemotherapy led to complete remission with normal visual acuity during a follow-up of 29 months.
Discussion: Ocular involvement is seen in 28%-80% of leukemia cases. The most obvious findings are the presence of retinal hemorrhages, which are most commonly located in the posterior pole. The intraretinal hemorrhage may contain a white component that usually is a white dot in the center of the hemorrhage, but other clinical features are described. Serous detachment of the neuroepithelium is seldom reported, and can be the first symptom of the disease. Other ocular findings include infiltrative involvement of the chorioretina, anterior segment involvement, and orbital location. Ocular location is estimated to be an equivalent of central nervous system involvement, and subsequently requires adequate treatment (steroids, chemotherapy and radiotherapy of the central nervous system).
Conclusion: Ocular manifestations of leukemia are frequent but rarely reveal the disease. Serous detachment is rarer. However, the diagnosis of leukemia should be considered in case of pigmentary epithelium involvement.