Pathology of the retina and choroid Flashcards
What is pathologic myopia?
Type of myopia that begins during childhood and progressively worsens, resulting in severe myopia by adulthood with an axial length >/= 26mm or refractive error >/= -6.00D)
What are some factors that can cause pathologic myopia?
- Environmental and genetic influences cause increased axial growth of the eyeball
- Often accompanied by degenerative changes in the retina
How does pathologic myopia present?
- Blurred vision
- Scleral thinning
What will fundoscopy show in pathologic myopia?
- Lacquer cracks
- Subretinal haemorrhage
- Fuschs’ spot - degeneration of the macula; occurs due to proliferation of RPE associated with choroidal haemorrhage
- Posterior staphyloma - outpouching of scleral tissue typically involving the optic disc or macula
- RPE/choroid atrophy
- Degeneration - cystoid, paving stone, lattice
What is shown?
Pathologic myopia
What is shown?
Pathologic myopia - Evaluates development of choroidal neovascularisation
How is pathologic myopia managed?
- Annual checkups if stable
- If CNV develops - anti-VEGF
What are some causes of retinal tears?
- Age-related degeneration of the retina
- Myopia
- Eye injuries
- Eye surgery e.g. cataract
What is a retinal hole?
An area of progressive thinning of the retina due to chronic retinal atrophy
What is a retinal break?
A full thickness defect in the sensory retina; when a retinal break is associated with vitreous traction (PVD), it is termed a retinal tear
How does retinal tear present?
- Asymptomatic
- May have photopsia or see floaters
How are retinal tears managed?
- Management ofretinal tearsaims to create adhesions between the retina and the choroid to prevent detachment
- This can be done using laser therapy or cryotherapy
What is a possible complication of retinal tear?
Retinal detachment
What is retinal detachment?
Refers to the detachment of the inner layer of the retina from the retinal pigment epithelium
What are the 2 forms of retinal detachment?
Rhegomatogenous
Non-rhegomatogenous
What is a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment?
Detachment of the retina caused by a tear or hole, with acute posterior vitreous detachment and predisposing peripheral retinal degeneration
What are some risk factors of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment?
- Posterior vitreous detachment
- Pathological myopia
- Previous intraocular surgery
- Trauma
What is non-rhegmatogenous retinal detachment?
Detachment without any retinal tears
What are the 2 forms of non-rhegmatogenous retinal detachment?
Tractional
Exudative
Describe the pathophysiology of tractional retinal detachment
- Formation of vitreoretinal bands (most commonly due to proliferative diabetic retinopathy)
- Pressure on the band during eye movement or as a result of sudden decrease in intraocular pressure
- Retinal detachment
Describe the pathophysiology of exudative retinal detachment
Subretinal fluid accumulation without retinal tears
What are some causes of non-rhegmatogenous retinal detachment?
- Choroidal tumours - primary or metastatic
- Intraocular inflammation - Harada disease, posterior scleritis
- Systemic - toxaemia of pregnancy, hypoproteinaemia
- Iatrogenic - RD surgery, excessive retinal photocoagulation
- Miscellaneous - choroidal neovascularisation, uveal effusion sydrome
What are some symptoms of retinal detachment?
- Painless, progressive visual field loss
- Patients may describe a curtain/shadow descending or ascending on field of vision
- Shadow corresponds to area of detached retina
- If detachment affects macula, central vision will be lost
- Sudden onset of floaters/flashes can preceed visual loss - indicates posterior vitreal detachment
What is a possible sign of retinal detachment?
RAPD
What are some signs of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment on fundoscopy?
- Retinal tear may be visible
- Detatched retina takes a convex shape
- Deep mobile elevation extending to ora serrata (junction between retina and ciliary body)
- Slightly opaque with dark blood vessels
- Loss of choroidal pattern
What are some signs of non-rhegmatogenous retinal detachment on fundoscopy?
- Detatched retina takes a convex shape
- Smooth elevation
- May be very mobile deep with shifting fluid
- Subretinal pigment (leopard spots) after flattening
- No retinal tear visible
What is shown?
Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment
What is shown?
Non-rhegmatogenous retinal detachment
How is retinal detachment managed?
Various surgical options which aim to reattach the retina and reduce any traction or pressure that may cause it to detach again
What is posterior vitreous detachment?
Detachment of the posterior vitreous cortex from the internal limiting membrane of the retina
What are some causes of posterior vitreous detachment?
- Age-related degeneration of the vitreous body (most common cause)
- Myopia
- Eye injury
How does posterior vitreous detachment present?
- Usually asymptomatic
- Photopsia with eye movements - caused by partially detached vitreous tissue pulling on the retina
- Floaters - collection of deposits in the vitreous body of the retina perceived as spots or strings drifting through the visual field
What is shown?
Posterior vitreous detachment
What is shown?
Posterior vitreous detachment
How is posterior vitreous detachment managed?
No treatment necessary - symptoms improve as brain adjusts
What is a possible complication of posterior vitreous detachment?
Can predispose to patients developing retinal tears and retinal detachment
What is vitreomacular traction?
Incomplete posterior vitreous detachment with the persistently adherent vitreous exerting tractional pull on the macula and resulting in morphologic alterations and consequent decline of visual function
How does vitreomacular traction present?
- Metamorphopsia
- Decreased vision
What investigation is required in vitreomacular traction?
Optical coherence tomography (OCT)