Choroidal neovascularization secondary to tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome (TINU) in an adult patient

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is a well-known risk factor for the development of choroidal neovascularization (CNV), yet not all causes of intraocular inflammation have been documented to cause CNV. Tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome (TINU) is a rare cause of intraocular inflammation mostly in pediatric patients and only seldom has been associated with development of CNV. FINDINGS: A 34-year-old pregnant female with a past history of bilateral ocular inflammation secondary to TINU presents 1 year after diagnosis with vision loss in the left eye. Clinical examination and investigations show the development of CNV in the left eye. The patient was treated with ranibizumab (Genentech, San Francisco, CA) intravitreal injections with improvement in symptoms and clinical findings. CONCLUSIONS: We report the first case of CNV secondary to TINU in an adult patient. The CNV associated with TINU is responsive to intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy.