Successful treatment of aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity with diode laser in ocular albinism: A case report

Oculocutaneous albinism is characterized by partial or complete absence of melanin in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and uveal melanocytes. Absence of typical fundal background from RPE and choroid makes it difficult to diagnose retinal disorders in ocular albinism. Lack of melanin in RPE makes the laser photocoagulation very challenging in these cases. This report presents a unique case of preterm infant of oculocutaneous albinism diagnosed as aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity (APROP), which was successfully treated with diode laser photocoagulation. The parameters of the laser used in this case were higher than usual, just enough to achieve blanching of retina. This report highlights the fact that the diagnosis of APROP and its treatment with laser is challenging in the presence of oculocutaneous albinism, but it is possible to achieve complete regression using diode laser at higher parameters.