Retinal tear formation after whole-body vibration training exercise

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this report is to describe the occurrence of a retinal tear, pre-retinal and vitreous hemorrhages after completing a session of whole-body vibration training. Though our patient is the third documented case of vitreous hemorrhage following whole-body vibration training, he is the first to show a close association of a retinal tear and vitreous hemorrhage with whole-body vibration training. CASE PRESENTATION: This case report describes a 59-year-old male who had acute onset of floaters and shadows in the left eye. The results of the examination revealed a temporal retinal tear, inferior pre-retinal hemorrhage, and mild vitreous hemorrhage. He was successfully treated using laser photocoagulation with resolution of vitreous and pre-retinal hemorrhages on 4-month follow up. CONCLUSIONS: With the rise in popularity of whole-body vibration training exercise, it is important for the medical and athletic community to be aware of possible associated ocular complications. We believe that high-force vibration training may cause retinal tears in susceptible persons.