Posterior Chamber and Retinal Disorders Flashcards
What are 8 posterior chamber/retinal disorders?
Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Central Retinal Vein Occlusion Amaurosis Fugax Optic Neuritis Retinal Detachment Giant Cell Arteritis Papilledema Macular Degeneration
What is the primary event that leads to retinal detachment?
a retinal tear
What is the pathology behind detachment?
2
- Fluid vitreous passes though the tear and lodges behind the sensory retina (between neural retina layer and outer pigmented layer)
- Combined traction and pull of gravity results in progressive detachment (pull sensory layer away from pigmented layer)
Predisposing factors are?
6
Age – 50-75 Myosis Cataract extraction Trauma Family history Advanced diabetes
Retinal detachment is also called?
posterior vitreous detachment
Signs and symptoms of retinal detachment?
4
Blurred Vision
Floaters
Flashing lights(photopsias)
NO PAIN OR REDNESS
What are the flashing lights in retinal detachment caused by?
the tugging on the retinal surface by the separating vitreous
(last less than a second)
What will cause the retina to die quickly?
Lack of oxygen, retina is one of the most highly metabolically active tissues in the body. High oxygen uptake
Treatment for retinal detachment?
4
Cryotherapy (freezing)
Scleral buckle
Intravitral gas
Vitrectomy
What happens in a central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO)?
Emboli enter and occlude the retinal artery
Prediposing factors for central retinal artery occulsion (CRAO)?
6
Age – mean is 60-80, can happen earlier Carotid artery disease Atrial fibrillation Hypertension Diabetes Temporal Arteritis
In CRAO what will the area that the blocked vessel is supplying look like?
Whiteish yellow region/area
Signs and symtpoms of a central retinal artery occlusion?
3
- Sudden profound monocular visual loss (seconds, minutes, perm) aka amarousis fugax
- Painless
- What happens to visual acuity
- Can detect hand movements but can’t count fingers
What does the fundoscopic exam reveal about CRAO?
6
- Pallor of the optic disc
- Ischemic retinal whitening
- Cherry red spot on macula or fovea
- Arteriole narrowing
- “boxcar” segmentation of the retinal veins
- Marked afferent pupillary defect
What can happen if we don’t catch CRAO right away?
Very poor prognosis for vision (particularly if not resolved within 90 minutes)!
REFER, REFER, REFER immediately
Treatment of CRAO?
3
Ocular massage
Anterior chamber paracentesis
Revasularization techniques
–Thrombolysis (clot busting)
What color will the retina appear in diabetes or hypertensive retinopathy?
yellow or pink
Why are you at risk for retinal detachment if you have myosis?
Retina is thinner and easier to tear apart
Where does vision loss is a retinal detachment start?
superior temporal area and expands fairly rapidly.
When do you have no hope for recovery of vision is a retinal detachment?
When the macula has peeled off
What will you see in a fundoscope exam for a retinal detachment?
wrinkled area. like bubbled wallpaper
Grey cloud with fluid shifting maybe
What is another way to describe CRAO?
Stroke of the eye
What is the cherry red spot in CRAO pathology?
The macula. the retina itself is a light color so it makes the macula look darker
Where does the emboli start in CRAO?
How could we prevent this early?
probably starts in the carotid and moves to the central retinal artery
Listen for bruit in the carotid before it goes to the brain
Temporal arteritis can cause CRAO. How do we treat it?
IV steriods
What do retinal vein occlusions cause?
3
dilated veins and leaky hemorrhages
cotton wool spots- little microinfarcts (dead areas of the retina)
optic disc swelling
Systemic etiologies of central retinal vein occlusion?
4
Increasing age
HTN
Coagulation disorders
Diabetes
Ocular etiologies of central retinal vein occlusion?
2
Raised intraocular pressure (> 25 mmHg) vein inflammation (vasculitis)
Signs and symptoms of central retinal vein occlusion?
3
How can the diagnosis be made?
- Visual impairment is commonly first noticed upon waking
- Usually a sudden monocular loss of vision
- PAINLESS
Diagnosis can be made with ophthalmoscopic exam
Refer ALL to ophthalmologist
What do we find in a fundoscopic exam with someone who has central retinal vein occlusion?
6
- Minimal APD (afferent pupillary defect)
- venous tortuosity / dilatation
- Retinal hemorrhages
- variable cotton-wool spots
- mild to moderate disc edema
- macular edema
SWOLLEN EVERYTHING
What should patients with central retinal vein occlusion be screened for?
4
diabetes
systemic hypertension
hyperlipidemia
glaucoma
What are patients with central retinal vein occlusion at high risk for?
develop neovascular glaucoma
proliferative retinopathy