Interferon alfa (IFNα) is commonly used in the treatment of many neoplastic diseases owing to its antiproliferative and immunomodulatory effects. IFNα is used in adjuvant therapy of melanoma stage IIa/b or higher.¹ A wide variety of ocular adverse events related to IFN therapy have been reported during the past decades.^2,3 A case of bilateral juxtapapillary choroidal neovascularisation is described here.

CASE REPORT

A 48 year old woman reported acute vision loss in her left eye (LE) 1 week after starting treatment with IFNα for a cutaneous metastasic melanoma. She had been receiving IFNα, 5 million international units (MIU), subcutaneously three times a week. On examination, visual acuity (VA) was right eye (RE) 20/50 and LE 20/60. Funduscopy showed bilateral optic disc oedema and subretinal haemorrhages in inferior temporal and nasal arcades. To rule out any cause of papilloedema a brain computed tomography was performed, which was normal. One month later, IFNα doses were increased to 8 …