True Exfoliation in a Man with Retinitis Pigmentosa

Abstract

True exfoliation is the term given to lamellar splitting of the anterior lens capsule. Usually caused by exposure to infrared radiation, it may occur in uveitis, and rarely may be idiopathic. Retinitis pigmentosa comprises a group of retinal dystrophies involving photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium characterized by night blindness and progressive visual field loss. We present a case of idiopathic true exfoliation of the lens discovered on routine slit lamp examination, in an elderly man, discovered to have bilateral classic retinitis pigmentosa as well. True exfoliation coexistent with retinitis pigmentosa has not been reported so far in literature.