Spontaneous resolution of myopic retinoschisis

Abstract

Spontaneous resolution of myopic retinoschisis is an unusual event due to the fact that most eyes of patients with this condition have already undergone certain morphological changes and vision will progressively worsen over time. We present a case of spontaneous anatomic and visual improvement in a myopic eye with a macular retinoschisis. The patient was monocular oculus dextrus (OD) with a history of left eye enucleation for recurrent retinal detachment and glaucoma for 30 years prior. Recent optical coherence tomography (OCT) depicted features characteristic of myopic retinoschisis. At the same time, the patient sough chiropractic treatment for neck pain and numbness in upper limbs. The patient had received 12 sessions of cervical adjustment which helped attain symptomatic relief of her neck and upper limb complaints at which time the patient also reported substantial recovery in her vision. Restoration of the normal retinal morphological appearance was illustrated upon re-evaluation of OCT. Spontaneous resolution of myopic retinoschisis may be a multifactorial cause. Further studies elucidating the exact mechanism resulting in visual improvement after chiropractic adjustment are needed before any claims regarding its efficacy for the treatment of myopic retinoschisis can be made.

Cervicogenic visual dysfunction: an understanding of its pathomechanism

“…The second mechanism has been explained with a neuro-ophthalmological approach. Prior history of ophthalmological ischemia in patients is shown to induce retinal cells survival at an ischemic level and hibernate in a less functioning mode, confirming that an association exists between retinal morphology and spinal manipulation [ 8 ]. Briefly, small number of retinal cells hibernate to survive at an ischemic level subthreshold and thus remain alive.…”

“…Stephens et al reported substantial repair of normal visual sensitivity of both eyes after spinal manipulation [ 7 ]. In a recent study, Chu et al demonstrated a spontaneous resolution of myopic retinoschisis after a similar spinal manipulation [ 8 ]. Moreover, a single cohort prospective trial of the immediate effects of spinal manipulation concluded significant improvements in visual acuity after chiropractic treatments [ 9 ].…”

Pediatric Text Neck Syndrome

“…If not adequately addressed, the pain and other symptoms of the cervical spine can progressively worsen, leading to a range of physical health issues such as spinal disc degeneration, musculoskeletal pain, and reversed cervical lordosis [ 2 ]. Cervical spine disorders include cervicogenic headaches [ 3 ], cervicogenic dizziness [ 2 ], cervicogenic angina and dyspnea [ 4 , 5 ], facial pain [ 6 ], fibromyalgia [ 7 ], visual disturbance [ 8 , 9 ], and cervical radiculopathy [ 10 , 11 ], which often present with a combination of painful symptoms and spinal dysfunction.…”