# Acute Macular Neuroretinopathy Following COVID-19 Infection: A Case Report

**Authors:** Ryan Zubricky, William Ensor

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.78182 · Cureus · 2025-01-29

## TL;DR

A young woman developed a rare eye condition called acute macular neuroretinopathy one week after contracting COVID-19, with limited improvement observed over four months.

## Contribution

This case report highlights acute macular neuroretinopathy as a potential ocular complication of COVID-19 infection.

## Key findings

- A 24-year-old female developed a scotoma and RPE lesion in her left eye one week after testing positive for COVID-19.
- OCT and OCTA imaging showed outer retinal defects and decreased reflectivity in the affected area.
- Despite persistent retinal changes, the patient maintained good central vision over four months.

## Abstract

A 24-year-old female presented with a new scotoma in her left eye one week after testing positive for COVID-19. Fundoscopy revealed an inferonasal perifoveal retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) lesion in the left eye. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) displayed an area of outer retinal defect involving the photoreceptor layer with ellipsoid zone disruption. OCT angiography (OCTA) showed decreased reflectivity in the deep capillary plexus of the affected area. The patient was diagnosed with acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMN) and monitored without treatment. At a one-month follow-up, minimal improvement in the scotoma was noted, with OCT showing mild improvement. At four months, the scotoma remained stable, with a persistent outer retinal defect on OCT.

Despite the persistent scotoma and outer retinal defect, the patient maintained good central vision. Clinicians should be aware of potential ocular complications of COVID-19, including AMN, and monitor patients accordingly. Currently, there is no evidence-based treatment for AMN, and long-term follow-up studies are needed to better understand the prognosis and potential treatments for this condition.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** COVID-19 (MONDO:0100096), acute macular neuroretinopathy (MONDO:0044627)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** AMN (MESH:D000080363), outer retinal defect (MESH:D012173), retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) lesion (MESH:C537835), complications (MESH:D008107), COVID-19 (MESH:D000086382), scotoma (MESH:D012607)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

10 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC11869515/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC11869515