Nölte and Brockmann 357 (17): e18, Figure 1 October 25, 2007

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An 80-year-old woman with a myopia of –19.0 diopters and a history of right-sided retinal detachment underwent a diagnostic workup for a decrease of vision in her right eye. The visual acuity of the right eye had decreased from 20/100 to the perception of light only, and the left eye was unaffected. Ophthalmoscopy suggested a total retinal and choroidal detachment of unclear cause. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to rule out an underlying neoplasm. The contrast-enhanced coronal and transverse T₁-weighted images (Panels A and B, respectively) showed an unusual appearance of retinal detachment: a symmetrical bulging, resulting in a star-shaped vitreous body (Panel A). No evidence of tumor or inflammation was found. Since the detachment had a complex shape and it was unclear when it occurred, surgical intervention was not pursued. The vision in the patient's right eye remained limited to perception of light. Predisposing conditions for retinal detachment include prior cataract surgery or trauma, myopia, diabetes mellitus, and inflammatory or tumorous conditions of the eye.