Can punctate inner Choroidopathy make you blind?

It mainly affects young, short-sighted women but a small percentage of men are also affected. Vision loss can be sudden and is permanent. There is no known cause for the disease and very little research has been carried out.

What is Choroiditis?

Serpiginous Choroiditis is a rare recurrent eye disorder characterized by irregularly shaped (serpiginous) lesions involving two layers of the eye surface (the retinal pigment epithelium and the choriocapillaris). No symptoms are apparent unless a specific area of the retina (macula) is damaged.

What is PIC syndrome?

Punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) is an inflammatory disorder that primarily affects the choroid (vascular layer) of the eye. It most commonly occurs in young, near-sighted (myopic) women. The symptoms and severity may vary from person to person.

What is eye Cnvm?

Choroidal neovascular membranes (CNVM) are new blood vessels that grow beneath the retina and disrupt vision. These blood vessels grow in an area called the choroid, the area between the retina and the sclera (the white part of your eye).

What is white dot syndrome?

The white dot syndromes are a group of inflammatory chorioretinopathies of unknown etiology which have in common a unique and characteristic appearance of multiple yellow-white lesions affecting multiple layers of the retina, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), choriocapillaris, and the choroid.

What is subretinal fibrosis?

Subretinal fibrosis is defined as the development of either band-like or plaque-like areas of fibrosis underneath the retina due to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) or proliferation of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and Müller cells.

Is choroiditis curable?

Multifocal choroiditis (MFC) is generally treated with steroid medication that can be taken orally or injected into the affected eye. These treatments may be successful in managing symptoms, though there is no permanent cure for the disease and symptoms may return.

Can multifocal Choroiditis cause blindness?

Two-thirds of all eyes with multifocal choroiditis and panuveitis end up with visual acuity of 20/40 or better. No eye affected by the disease goes completely blind, although loss of central vision rarely does occur.

What is post ICU syndrome?

Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) is a collection of physical, mental and emotional symptoms that continue to persist after a patient leaves the intensive care unit (ICU). Because of the advances in medicine over the last several decades, more people now survive critical illnesses.

How is Cnvm treated?

How do you treat CNVM? Of the two main forms of macular degeneration, wet and dry, wet macular degeneration is the only form with known, proven treatments. Those treatments include: Laser photocoagulation, Photodynamic Therapy, Macugen, Lucentis and Avastin injections.

Why does neovascularization occur in AMD?

“Neovascularization” means “new blood vessels.” These new, abnormal blood vessels originate in the choroid, a vessel-containing layer under the retina. When the retinas of people with AMD produce too much vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), new blood vessels sprout from the choroid, then grow into the retina.

Does white dot syndrome go away?

Treatment is required in the latter case to combat loss of vision. The white dots usually disappear naturally. Corticosteroids have been shown to speed up this process. The differences in the immune response of each patient may contribute to the differences seen between the white dot syndromes.

How is puncta inner choroidopathy similar to multifocal choroiditis?

These two distinctly different entities share many similar characteristics and clinical signs, and some authorities consider punctate inner choroidopathy a variant of multifocal choroiditis.

Is there vitritis in Punctate inner choroidopathy?

There is no vitritis present. Brown et al reported that 88% of patients with PIC had bilateral disease, compared to 66% in MCP, 100% in DSF (diffuse subretinal fibrosis), and 25% in MEWDS patients. Patients present with typical signs of ocular histoplasmosis but have negative serology or skin test for histoplasmosis.

Where does idiopathic multifocal choroiditis affect the retina?

General Pathology Idiopathic multifocal choroiditis is a chronic and progressive bilateral inflammatory disease that may be associated with choroidal neovascularization and chorioretinal atrophy. The commonly affected sites are the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), outer retinal spaces, choriocapillaris, and, less commonly, the choroidal stroma.

What should visual acuity be for Punctate inner choroidopathy?

Evaluation of patients with suspected punctate inner choroidopathy includes a complete ophthalmological exam. The initial visual acuity at presentation varies from 20/50 to 20/400. In the original report by Watzke et al, 8 of 12 eyes had VA of 20/50 or better (66.7%), 2 had 20/70, one had 20/500, and another had counting fingers.