Retinal Alteration Associated with an Arachnoid Cyst of the Pineal Region

BACKGROUND: Retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive high-resolution imaging technique, which is considered a biomarker of neuro-degeneration. Several intracranial lesions can induce retrograde neuro-degeneration which can be assessed using OCT. The cysts of the pineal region are usually asymptomatic and most often are an incidental radiologic finding. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe the case of a 50-year-old woman with an arachnoid cyst of the pineal region who complained of visual symptoms for 3 months. Bilateral macular thinning was demonstrated by OCT both on the pre-operative and postoperative examinations, without any other clinical findings that could explain the results. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the retinal alteration is caused by retrograde neuro-degeneration secondary to the pineal region mass.