Retinal disorders

Question 1

what investigations can be done for retinal disorders

Answer 1

fundoscopy
fluorescein angiography
optical coherence tomography
electrophysiology

Question 2

what does fluorescein angiography do

Answer 2

looks at the vessels in the retina

Question 3

what are the different types of electrophysiology

Answer 3

electroretinogram

visually evoked potentials

Question 4

what does an electroretinogram show

Answer 4

measures retinal function

Question 5

what do visually evoked potentials show

Answer 5

records optic nerve function

Question 6

what can different types of retinal pathology cause changes in

Answer 6

visual acuity
visual fields
colour vision
relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD)

Question 7

what can cause SUDDEN painless loss of vision

Answer 7

Central retinal vein occlusion	
Central retinal artery occlusion		
Ischaemic optic neuropathy		
Stroke					
Vitreous haemorrhage		
Retinal detachment
Sudden discovery of pre-exisiting unilateral loss of vision

Question 8

what causes central retinal vein occlusion

Answer 8

hypertension
glaucoma
hyperviscocity
inflammation

Question 9

what causes central retinal artery occlusion

Answer 9

emboli (carotids/heart)

inflammation

Question 10

what are the two types of steam optic neuropathy

Answer 10

arteritic

non-arteritic

Question 11

what are the symptoms of giant cell arteritis

Answer 11

Headache
Scalp tenderness
Jaw claudication
Neck pain
Nausea/anorexia
Loss of vision

Question 12

what are the investigations for giant cell arteritis

Answer 12

bloods - raised inflammatory markers

temporal artery biopsy

Question 13

what are the signs and symptoms of optic neuritis

Answer 13

Pain on eye movements
Reduced vision
Red desaturation
Central scotoma
Relative afferent pupil defect
Swollen optic disc

Question 14

what can cause GRADUAL painless loss of vision

Answer 14

Cataract
Refractive error
Age-related macular degeneration
Open angle glaucoma
Diabetic retinopathy
Hypertensive retinopathy
Inherited retinal dystrophies
Drug-induced retinopathy

Question 15

what occurs in age related macular degeneration

Answer 15

progressive loss of central vision

Question 16

what are risk factors for age related macular degeneration

Answer 16

age, smoking, poor diet

Question 17

what are the different types of age related macular degeneration

Answer 17

dry type

wet type

Question 18

what is seen in dry type ARMD

Answer 18

atrophy

drusen

Question 19

what is seen in wet type ARMD

Answer 19

neovascular membrane - blood, fluid

Question 20

what is seen on fundoscopic examination of diabetic retinopathy

Answer 20

cotton wool spots
exudates
vascular anomalies 
maculopathy
advanced disease

Question 21

what are retinal dystrophies

Answer 21

Series of inherited conditions affecting photoreceptor function leading to progressive loss of vision

Question 22

what are the two types of retinal dystrophies

Answer 22

photoreceptor dystophies (ERG induced)

Retinal pigment epithelium (EOG induced)

choroid dystrophies

vitreoretinal dystrophies

Question 23

name some photoreceptor dystrophies

Answer 23

Retinitis pigmentosa

Cone dystrophy

Question 24

name some RPE dystrophies

Answer 24

Best’s vitelliform macular dystrophy

Stargardt macular dystrophy

Sorsby macular dystrophy

North Carolina macular dystrophy

Question 25

name some choroidal dystrophies

Answer 25

Choroideraemia

Gyrate atrophy

Question 26

name some vitreoretinal dystrophies

Answer 26

Stickler syndrome

Congenital retinoschisis

Question 27

what can cause drug induced retinopathy

Answer 27

antimalarias
phenothiazines
tamoxifen

Question 28

what is a treatment for retinal dystrophy

Answer 28

gene therapy

eg involving visual pigment regeneration (rhodopsin)

Question 29

how does gene therapy work

Answer 29

replace the missing or defective gene through viral vector insertion

replacent gene synthesises protein

Question 30

give an example of something gene therapy can hep in

Answer 30

choroideraemia