Betul Kirbas SARAC, Selda Dulger CELIK, Mehmet Yasin TEKE
Retina-Vitreus - 2026;35(2):191-196
Laser-induced retinal injury is an uncommon but potentially vision-threatening condition. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) represents a rare late complication following disruption of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-Bruch's membrane complex. We report a case of delayed-onset subfoveal CNV that developed approximately one year after accidental exposure to reflected radiation from an industrial laser cutting system. A 39-year-old male presented with decreased vision and metamorphopsia in his left eye. Multimodal imaging, including color fundus photography, fluorescein angiography (FFA), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), confirmed active subfoveal CNV. The right eye was structurally normal at baseline. The affected eye received three consecutive monthly intravitreal anti-VEGF (Bevacizumab) injections, resulting in anatomical regression of the neovascular membrane and improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from 0.1 to 0.6. During follow-up, progressive ellipsoid zone (EZ) irregularity developed in the initially unaffected fellow eye without evidence of neovascularization. This case illustrates that high-energy industrial laser exposure may lead to delayed-onset CNV and subsequent outer retinal structural alterations. Long-term bilateral evaluation with multimodal imaging is essential, and timely anti-VEGF therapy can achieve favorable anatomical and functional outcomes.
