Necrotising retinopathies can be visually devastating. Most often associated with the viral family Herpesviridae and seen in both immune-competent and immunocompromised hosts, possible complications of necrotising retinopathies include progressive retinal necrosis with or without macular involvement, optic neuropathy and ultimately, secondary retinal detachment. Examples include progressive outer retinal necrosis, acute retinal necrosis and cytomegaloviral retinitis. If diagnosed early and treated aggressively, visual complications can be prevented; however, there is no current consensus on the most appropriate antiviral regimen for each of the different varieties of necrotising herpetic retinopathy. This paper reviews aspects of varieties of necrotising herpetic retinopathy, including pathophysiology, treatment and diagnostic testing.
SIGNIFICANCE:West African crystalline maculopathy is a rare crystalline maculopathy without a clear etiology. Although the crystals do not appear to be visually significant, there may be a role in the breakdown of the blood-retina barrier within the pathogenesis of this disorder. PURPOSE:The purpose of this case series is to describe two cases of West African crystalline maculopathy. These crystals do not affect vision, nor visual function. Because there are only 39 other documented cases in the literature, it is imperative to understand the differences and similarities in this rare maculopathy.CASE SERIES: Case 1 was a 65-year-old Black woman with a history of proliferative diabetic retinopathy after panretinal photocoagulation was seen for routine examination. She recently emigrated from Tema, Ghana. Examination revealed asymmetric macular crystals consistent with West African crystalline maculopathy and quiescent proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Case 2 was a 60-year-old Black woman that presented for routine examination. She recently emigrated from Nigeria. Examination revealed macular crystals consistent with West African crystalline maculopathy with evidence of stage 1 hypertensive retinopathy and extramacular drusen.CONCLUSIONS: West African crystalline maculopathy is a rare disorder that should be considered in patients who present with asymptomatic foveal crystalline deposits who are immigrants from West African countries.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.