Autoimmune Retinopathies

Autoimmune retinopathies (ARs) are uncommon ophthalmic disorders in which autoantibodies directed at various retinal components damage the retina causing progressive vision loss. In most cases, an evaluation reveals an underlying malignancy, placing this condition in the category of paraneoplastic retinopathy (PR) syndromes. Paraneoplastic syndromes affecting the visual system are a group of conditions that arise in the systemic malignancy framework. In rare cases, no such malignancy is found, and the patients are considered to have a presumed non-paraneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy (npAIR). Diffuse photoreceptor degeneration of both cones and rods is present with or without any inflammation. Symptoms usually present bilaterally and, rarely sequentially, over a period of several weeks or months before the underlying malignancy is diagnosed. The diagnosis is made on a high index of suspicion based on the clinical findings.