ACUTE PRERETINAL HEMORRHAGE AS PRESENTING CLINICAL SIGN OF EVENTUALLYLIFE-THREATENING SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE

Background To report on a patient with acute preretinal and intraretin al bleedings as first clinical signs of a life-threatening subarachnoi d hemorrhage. Patient A 36-year-old, so far healthy woman complained o f decreased vision, which had started eight hours before. She presente d herself in good general condition. Ophthalmoscopic evaluation showed intraretinal hemorrhages in both eyes and a preretinal hemorrhage in the left eye. During the examination, the patient fainted and suffered generalized seizure. Cranial computed tomography revealed a subarachn oid hemorrhage originating from an internal carotid artery aneurysm. C onclusion Acute intraretinal and preretinal bleedings in apparently he althy patients can be precursors of eventually life-threatening compli cations of subarachnoid hemorrhages.