Bilateral recurrent acute retinal pigment epitheliitis.

Acute retinal pigment epitheliitis appears to be a specific discrete process of unknown etiology. It is generally unilateral but can be recurrent and can affect both eyes. Eyes in which the disease has run its course exhibit little or no unusual ophthalmoscopic or visual function abnormalities. The actue phase of the disease is localized to the macular area. The lesions are localized in the retinal pigment epithelium as shown by slit-lamp and contact-lens examination, the small lesions more or less surrounding the fovea. They vary from tiny grayish to black spots, which may become surrounded by a lighter halo. Fluroescein angiography is normal in acute phases but the halo-like areas may represent "window defects" with hyperfluorescence in later stages.