Reticulum degeneration affects the retina, causing atrophy and thinning, and is associated with myopia. Symptoms are rare, but complications can lead to retinal detachment and vision loss. Prophylactic treatment, such as laser photocoagulation, may be necessary to prevent detachment.
Reticulum degeneration is a disease that affects the retina of the eye, causing the retina to atrophy and thin. While this is not usually a progressive disease, in rare cases the degeneration can lead to retinal detachment and temporary or permanent vision loss. In the United States, up to 10% of the population has this disease. Of these, between 30% and 50% are affected in both eyes. This eye disease is associated with myopia and the two conditions often appear together.
Although multiple theories regarding the cause of this disease have been suggested, the factors that lead to the degeneration of the reticular eye remain unknown. Diseased eyes have vascular deficiencies, meaning that the network of vessels that supply blood to the retina is underdeveloped. It is not known whether this vascular deficiency is a cause or a symptom of reticular eye degeneration.
Lattice degeneration usually has no easily recognizable symptoms. A person with this condition may have blurry distance vision; however this is more often caused by myopia. Often, when symptoms are noted, they are symptoms of a complication rather than the disease itself.
The most common complication of reticular degeneration is retinal detachment; however this is itself a rare complication. Retinal detachment occurs in less than 1 percent of people with reticular eye degeneration. When retinal detachment occurs, the patient is likely to experience floaters and white flashes in the field of vision. Floaters are tiny black spots that float in the field of vision. If these symptoms appear suddenly without warning, they may indicate retinal detachment and you should seek treatment from a doctor or ophthalmologist.
People with reticular degeneration generally don’t require any treatment, as the disease doesn’t affect vision and complications are rare. Under certain circumstances, prophylactic treatment may be necessary to prevent complications. For example, if someone with reticular eye detachment has a detached retina in one eye, the other eye can be treated to prevent detachment. Detached retina can also be treated to prevent further damage.
Laser photocoagulation of retinal tears is the most common prophylactic treatment used for reticular eye degeneration. This therapy is used to both prevent and treat retinal detachment. In laser photocoagulation, a laser is directed at the retina of the eye. The laser is used to cauterize tiny vessels in the retina to repair the holes and reduce the chances of detachment.
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