Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Aug 27, 2026 22 minutes ago
Thai medical researchers have reported an unusual case of a rare retinal disorder developing after COVID-19 infection, raising questions about whether infection could potentially trigger certain eye problems in susceptible people.
Thai researchers reported an unusual case of rare retinal disease developing after COVID-19 infection
Rare Eye Disease Appeared After COVID-19
The condition, called acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR), affects the outer retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. AZOOR typically occurs in younger, nearsighted women and often causes flashing lights, blind spots and sudden changes in the visual field.
However, the reported patient was a man in his late 50s whose symptoms did not follow the usual pattern. He developed chronic, painless blurred vision, with the onset occurring after a previous COVID-19 infection.
Patient Was Initially Diagnosed with Glaucoma
Thailand Medical researchers and doctors initially believed the man had glaucoma because he had elevated pressure inside the eye together with abnormal visual field test results. Further investigations, however, revealed important signs pointing toward AZOOR rather than glaucoma.
Specialized retinal imaging identified a characteristic bright ring on fundus autofluorescence imaging. Optical coherence tomography, which provides detailed cross-sectional images of the retina, also showed zonal loss of the ellipsoid zone, an important layer associated with healthy light-sensing photoreceptor cells.
Visual field testing revealed enlargement of the natural blind spot. Importantly, his central visual sharpness and ability to distinguish colors remained preserved, while examination found no relative afferent pupillary defect.
Advanced Imaging Revealed the Diagnosis
As highlighted in this Medical News report, the case demonstrates why several types of retinal imaging may be necessary when unexplained visual field abnormalities resemble glaucoma.
The patient's visual field remained stable during follow-up, suggesting that the retinal changes were not rapidly progressing during the observation period. The temporal relationship with COVID-19 also raises the possibility of a post-infectious association, although a single case cannot prove that COVID-19 directly caused AZOOR.
Conclusions
This unusual case expands doctors' understanding of how AZOOR may appear in older patients and emphasizes the importance of detailed retinal imaging. It also highlights the need for further research to determine whether COVID-19 or post-infectious immune responses can contribute to rare retinal disorders.
Research institution: Division of Ophthalmology, Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: BMJ Case Reports.
https://casereports.bmj.com
/content/19/8/e272504.full
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid 
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