Bilateral serous retinal detachment in HELLP syndrome associated with post-partum sepsis and acute kidney injury: A case report

Serous retinal detachment (RD) can occur either during or after pregnancy, and is often associated with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. A variant of pre-eclampsia–atypical pre-eclampsia–may present without proteinuria or hypertension. We report a case of a 26-year-old normotensive primigravida who developed sudden blurring of vision in both her eyes during puerperium. Fundoscopy revealed serous retinal detachment in both eyes. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrated sub-retinal fluid (SRF) in both eyes, and fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) displayed leakage with pooling of dye all over the posterior pole. She responded well to oral and topical steroid eyedrops, and topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory eyedrops. Her best-corrected visual acuity improved within a month, with resorption of subretinal fluid. Awareness about serous retinal detachment during/after pregnancy in the absence of hypertensive disorders is noteworthy. The visual prognosis is usually favorable, and this knowledge can allay fear and anxiety among patients.