[Case report of melanoma-associated retinopathy associated with positive auto-antibodies against retinal bipolar cells].

BACKGROUND: We report a case of melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) associated with positive auto-antibodies against retinal bipolar cells, which has been rarely reported in Japan. CASE REPORT: A 33 year-old woman noticed shimmering vision, photopsias, blurred vision, and night blindness OS in April 2009, and visited Kagoshima Miyata Eye Clinic in May 2009. She had been continuously treated for malignant melanoma on her left finger since 2007. At her initial visit, the corrected visual acuity was 1.5 OD and 1.2 OS, and slit-lamp examination revealed clear ocular media OU. Funduscopic examination showed normal appearance of the retina OU, except for a mild narrowing of the retinal arteries OS. Humphrey field analyzer revealed a reduction of retinal sensitivity within the central 30 degrees OS. The maximum left eye response of electroretinogram (ERG) showed a negative waveform. The immuno-cytochemical test revealed antibodies against retinal bipolar cells, which confirmed the diagnosis of MAR. CONCLUSION: Characteristic subjective symptoms, Humphrey field analyzer and ERG are useful for the diagnosis of MAR.