Preserved retinal sensitivity in spatial correspondence to an intrachoroidal cavitation area with full thickness retinal defect: a case report

BACKGROUND: Intrachoroidal cavitation (ICC) in the temporal peripapillary area is a relatively frequent finding in high myopia. However, ICC associated with a full thickness retinal defect rarely observed. We report an unusual case of ICC combined with a full thickness retinal defect in the papillo-macular bundle, in which the spatially corresponding visual field sensitivity was preserved. CASE PRESENTATION: A high myopic and pseudophakic left eye of a 79-year-old Japanese woman was evaluated with swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and Humphrey 30-2 visual field testing for moderate glaucoma. The best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20, the axial length was 28.77 mm, the mean deviation -8.94 dB, and the intraocular pressure was 15 mmHg without medication. The horizontal SS-OCT scans showed a wide ICC with a full thickness retinal defect in the papillo-macular area at the outer border of the myopic peripapillary beta zone atrophy. The retina was herniated into the ICC area. While no sensitivity loss was seen in the central visual field corresponding to the full thickness retinal defect, a glaucomatous visual field deterioration spatially corresponding to the glaucomatous disc damage was present. The preserved retinal sensitivity spatially corresponding to the full thickness retinal defect was confirmed with microperimetry. CONCLUSIONS: Our case suggests that retina herniated in peripapillary ICC temporal to the disc may preserve some function despite the presence of a retinal defect.