Retinal vasculitis and vitreous hemorrhage associated with mixed connective tissue disease: retinal vasculitis in MCTD.

Background: Retinal vasculitis associated with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) has rarely been reported in the literature. We describe a rare case of a patient with serious retinal vasculopathy and vitreous hemorrhages associated with MCTD.

Methods: A 53-year-old woman with MCTD who has had recurrent retinal vasculitis and vitreous hemorrhage in the right eye since 2000 presented with blurred vision in the right eye in April 2003. The best-corrected visual acuity was counting finger in the right eye. The patient was clinically diagnosed as having retinal and vitreous hemorrhages and retinal infarction. Prednisolone was administered orally in a daily dose of 20 mg.

Results: The retinal and vitreous hemorrhage improved in 7 days. The best-corrected visual acuity improved to more than 20/20 on prednisolone alone.

Conclusions: MCTD can be associated with retinal vasculitis and vitreous hemorrhage which in our case responded well to systematic low doses of corticosteroid therapy.