COATS DISEASE

COATS DISEASE
GENERAL INFORMATION

The pathology of the orbits I chose to cover is called Coats disease or otherwise known as Exudative Retinitis. The disease takes place in the retinal capillaries and is very progressive. Blood leaks from the abnormal vessles causing it to build up and leave cholesterol deposits.The most common people it affects are young children, and usually young male adults. There is no known cause of Coats disease but it does start to occur within the first decade of ones life. It starts to affect the vision, but only in one eye.

SYMPTOMS

The most common symptoms of coats disease is the deterioration of the central of peripheral vision in ones eye. Bleeding can also occur along with leakage of out the eye. Most of the time someone with coats disease you will find them squinting an aweful lot.

DIAGNOSIS

Coats disease is found by the appearance of the back of the eye. MRI scan will be able to show if someone has Coats disease. Also, another way to diagnose Coats is with Fluorescein Angiography which consists of injecting dye into the back of the eye and looking at the circulation.

TREATEMENT

Coats disease can be treated by using a special type of laser or cryotherapy also known as freezing. This will usually destroy the abnormal blood vessels, but if they are thought to be clustered around the optic nerve, these methods may not work because there is a chance the nerve could be damaged and ruined. Sometimes this disease will stop on its own either permanently or temporarily. Once complete detachment of the nerve happens, the only last option is to remove the eye itself. EWW.