Unilateral Macular Choroidal Neovascularization; a Rare Manifestation in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

To report a case of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) treatment with imatinib mesylate in the remission phase who developed unilateral macular choroidal neovascularization (CNV).

A 45-year-old male marketer with a 5-year history of CML treated with imatinib mesylate presented with 2 months history of progressive vision loss and metamorphopsia in the right eye.

Fundus examination of the right eye revealed grey-white elevated retinal lesion with indistinct borders in the macula and retinal telangiectasia in the temporal macula. Fluorescein angiography (FA) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) confirmed the presence of CNV in the right eye. After treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF), macular CNV regressed significantly.

Macular CNV must be kept in mind as a rare ophthalmic manifestation of patients with CML under treatment with imatinib even in the remission phase.