Anterior chamber flare and ciliochoroidal detachment using flare photometry and anterior segment optical coherence tomography in acute lupus choroidopathy: A case report

PURPOSE: To report anterior chamber flare using laser flare photometry and ciliochoroidal detachment using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) in a new onset acute lupus choroidopathy case. OBSERVATIONS: A 57-year-old woman with severe nephritis, pleural effusion, and ascites was referred to our ophthalmology clinic for rapid onset of bilateral blurred vision and eyelid swelling. She had a bilateral high-flared, shallow anterior chamber, and bilateral ciliochoroidal detachment, which was revealed using laser flare photometry and AS-OCT. She also had a serous retinal detachment and disc-macular retinoschisis with a thicker choroid and waved Bruch's membrane. Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) demonstrated partial hypocyanescence in the early phase and multiple hypercyanescent spots at the intermediate to late phase, which are typical of lupus choroidopathy. Systemic lupus erythematosus was diagnosed, and after the administration of pulse methylprednisolone and pulse cyclophosphamide therapies, all eye findings completely resolved in a month, and all other signs and symptoms improved. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Lupus choroidopathy, which is less common than retinopathy, might be under-diagnosed because of its difficult evaluation. Although ICGA is the gold standard for diagnosing lupus choroidopathy, a high flare of the anterior chamber and ciliochoroidal detachment might be different from lupus retinopathy. Laser flare photometry and AS-OCT can be non-invasive, helpful tools for the longitudinal evaluation of the patient's response to therapy.