Idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy leading to blindness

Idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (IPCV) has recently been recog nized as a distinct cause of recurrent subretinal hemorrhages and exudates as well as multiple hemorrhagic retinal pigment epithelium detachments in t he macula. IPCV is usually considered to have a good visual prognosis. We r eport the case of a 44-year-old woman with particularly severe bilateral ma cular and peripheral IPCV. The patient was followed for 13 years and had fi nal visual acuity of counting fingers in the right eye and 20/400 in the le ft eye. Patients with IPCV with macular choroidal neovascularization tend t o have a poor visual prognosis. This case of IPCV should alert the physicia n to be particularly attentive to the follow-up of these patients.