OCULAR CHALCOSIS

Purpose To report on a patient including measurements of retinal chang es in ocular chalcosis. Patient and Methods After having suffered an o pen-globe injury presumably due to a small foreign body after a grenad e explosion, a 30-year-old man presented six years later with ocular c halcosis including sunflower cataract, a multitude of tiny brownish pa rticles in the anterior vitreous, a fibrillar degeneration of the post erior vitreous and brilliant patches overriding the foveal region. The patches were measured by confocal scanning laser tomography (HRT) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Results Besides an acquired cyand yschromatopsia, psychophysical and electrophysiologic tests were unrem arkable. Vision was 20/20. The central patches measured 200 to 700 mu m in diameter (HRT) and 150 to 200 mu m in height above the inner reti nal surface (HRT and OCT). Discussion With exception of a Kayser-Fleis cher ring of the cornea the patient presents all morphologic signs of ocular chalcosis. Although the observed patches on the central retina in ocular chalcosis are described in the literature, their nature is n ot known.