Occlusive retinal arteriolitis with neovascularization

A 34-year-old white woman who had used oral contraceptives for six years showed an occlusive bilateral retinal arteriolitis that resulted in a branch arteriolar occlusion in the right eye and retinal neovascularization. Three years later, we observed active arteriolitis in the left eye with successive occlusion of several branch arterioles. The disease has shown spontaneous remissions and exacerbations. An extensive medical evaluation revealed only old pulmonary granulomatous disease and an elevated sedimentation rate in association with exacerbations of the arteriolitis.