Retinal Vasculature Flashcards
What are some common leakage/depositions defects in the retina?
• Haemorrhages in and around the retina
• Oedema
• Exudates
• Drusen
• Cotton wool spots
Types of haemorrhage:
• Retinal haemorrhages
- Flame shaped haemorrhages
- Dot-blot haemorrhages
• Sub-retinal haemorrhages
• Pre-retinal haemorrhages
- Subhyaloid haemorrhages
- Vitreous hemorrhages
Retinal haemorrhages:
• Flame shaped haemorrhages
- from superficial pre-capillary arterioles
- in NFL
• Dot-blot haemorrhages
- from venous end of capillaries
- in middle retinal layers
Sub retinal haemorrhages: describe
• Dark colour
• Retinal vessels clearly visible above
• Blood can spread in this area so these harmorrhages can have an arbitrary shape
• Can be associated with an RPE detachment
• Causes include:
- wet ARMD (by far most common)
- choroidal tumors
- trauma
Sub-hyaloid haemorrhages: describe
• Level of subhyaloid space between posterior vitreous face and retina OR under internal limiting membrane
• May get localised vitreous detachment
• Characteristically have a boat-shaped (horizontal blood level) appearance
• Obscures underlying retina
Vitreous Haemorrhages: Describe
• Spread of subhyaloid haemorrhage into vitreous itself
• Often blurry appearance
• Obscures underlying retina
Vitreous Haemorrhages: causes
• Abnormal blood vessels
- Don’t have endothelial tight junctions, predisposing them to spontaneous bleeding
• Rupture of normal blood vessels
- Something pulling on blood vessel and causes it to rupture
- Trauma
• Blood from adjacent source
- Haemorrhages from retinal haemorrhages, tumours, wet ARMD can extend into vitreous
Oedema: Describe
• Diffuse: caused by extensive leakage
• Localised: focal leakage
• Between OPL and INL, may later involve IPL and NFL
Exudates: Describe
• Chronic localised oedema
• Located at junction of normal and oedematous tissue
• Lipoprotein and macrophages
• Mainly in OPL
• Get spontaneously absorbed
Drusen: Describe
• RPE hyperpigmentation
• Deposition of Lipofuscin between Bruch’s membrane and the RE; metabolically active cells
- Deficient metabolism of the photoreceptor outer segments by the RE
• Increase in number and size causing damage to photoreceptors reduction in vision
Cotton wool spots: Describe
• Accumulation of neuronal debris in NFL
• Disruption of axial flow of neurons
Hypertensive retinopathy: symptoms
• Most often patient is asymptomatic
• Blurred/distorted vision if at later stage and it affects the macula
Hypertensive retinopathy: signs
(Venous/arterial)
• Venous changes:
- dilation
- tortuosity
• Arterial changes:
- AV nipping
- generalised narrowing
- localised narrowing
- copper wiring
- silver-wiring
Hypertensive retinopathy: Signs
• Retinal haemorrhages (dot blot and flame)
• Hard exudates, macular star
• Cotton wool spots
• Disc swelling
Hypertensive retinopathy: Management
• Get BP checked
• If severe send to ophthalmologist