Chronic myeloid leukemia revealed by bilateral proliferative retinopathy: A case report and literature review

Bilateral proliferative retinopathy is a rare complication of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) as a few case reports have been published to date. In this case report, a 32-year old diabetic female presented with history of bilaterally decreased vision. Ophthalmologic examination showed bilateral proliferative retinopathy (i.e., retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, pre-retinal fibrosis and the presence of bilateral peripheral capillary dropout with multiple retinal sea fan neovascularization) for which panretinal laser photocoagulation and vitrectomy were planned. During the preoperative workup, complete blood count revealed hyperleukocytosis. Later on, the karyotype analysis identified Philadelphia chromosome, confirming the diagnosis of CML. Hence, it was an interesting case where bilateral proliferative retinopathy directed to the diagnosis of CML. Therefore, proliferative retinopathy may be the first presentation of CML.