CUTANEOUS MELANOMA-ASSOCIATED RETINOPATHY

Purpose: To define further the syndrome of cutaneous melanoma-associated retinopathy, of which only five affected patients have been reported previously. Methods: Three men with melanoma-associated retinopathy were examined and studied electrophysiologically. Two were studied in detail psychophysically. Results: Visual symptoms consisted of flickering black and white spots, shimmering patches of colors, and night blindness. The onset was acute and nonprogressive. Reduced amplitudes were observed in the flash electroretinographic b-wave and the pattern electroretinogram. Color vision, contrast sensitivity, and light- and dark-adapted perimetric sensitivities were abnormal. In one patient, the rate of dark adaptation was normal with elevated final cone and rod thresholds. Conclusions: Melanoma-associated retinopathy is a paraneoplastic syndrome distinct from cancer-associated retinopathy with a different visual prognosis. It may preferentially affect men.