The commonest cause of solar retinopathy is direct viewing of a solar eclipse.¹ Other associations include sun gazing during religious rituals, drug or alcohol intoxication, and mental illness.^2,,³ However, it may not be considered in the absence of a history of sun gazing. We report an unusual case of solar retinopathy in a patient with bipolar affective disorder and demonstrate the value of optical coherence tomography in aiding the diagnosis in cases of unexplained visual loss in patients with mental illness.

Case report

A 45 year old woman presented complaining of a gradual deterioration in vision over 3 years. Past medical history included hypothyroidism and bipolar affective disorder treated with antidepressant and antipsychotic medication.

Presenting visual acuities were 6/12 in the right eye and 6/9 …