Bilateral acute depigmentation of the iris first misdiagnosed as acute iridocyclitis

Acute depigmentation of the iris is a new condition characterized by pigment dispersion in the anterior chamber, depigmentation of the iris stroma, and pigment deposition in the anterior chamber angle. A 33-year-old woman using a topical corticosteroid every 2 h for the treatment of acute iridocyclitis was referred to our clinic to seek another opinion because her symptoms had not improved. An ocular evaluation of the patient revealed pigment precipitates on the corneal endothelium, pigment dispersion in the anterior chamber, symmetrical diffuse depigmentation, granularity of the iris stroma, and pigment deposition in the trabecular meshwork. These findings suggested a diagnosis of bilateral acute depigmentation of the iris (BADI) instead of iridocyclitis. Clinicians should be careful in the differential diagnosis of iris depigmentation from iridocyclitis to avoid the unnecessary use of high-dose topical corticosteroids.