Retinoschisis Is a Disease of the Nerve Tissue in the Eye. It Affects the Retinal Cells

RETINOSCHESIS

Definition

Retinoschisis is a disease of the nerve tissue in the eye. It affects the retinal cells in the macula (the central fixation point of vision at the back of the eye). Retinoschisis is technically a form of macular degeneration. However there are different types of macular degeneration and many people diagnosed with macular degeneration do not have retinoschisis.

Symptoms

-1.  Decreased vision

-1.  Loss of peripheral vision

The symptoms described above may not necessarily mean that you have retinoschisis. However, if you experience one or more of these symptoms, contact your eye doctor for a complete exam.

Treatment

Currently, there are no medical or surgical treatments available for retinoschisis. The Center for Retinal and Macular Degeneration at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center is one of the only centers in the country performing genetic research.

If you are nearsighted or farsighted, glasses may improve the overall quality of vision. However, because retinoschisis is a disease of the nerve tissue, glasses will not "repair" this nerve tissue damage.

Vitamin A will probably not help in retinoschisis. Vitamin A may have benefits for other genetic retinal diseases, particularly in cases of retinitis pigmentosa where the retinal nerve cells are slowly dying. The retinoschisis disease is quite different from retinitis pigmentosa, since the retinal cells in retinoschisis are mechanically disrupted but are not thought to be dying.

References

American Council of the Blind 2200 Wilson Boulevard Suite 650 Arlington, VA 22201 Tel: (202)467-5081 Fax: (202)465-5085 Tel: (800)424-8666 Email: Internet: http://www.acb.org/ Association for Macular Diseases, Inc. 210 E. 64th St. 8th Floor New York, NY 10065 Tel: (212)605-3719 Fax: (212)605-3795 Email: Internet: http://www.macula.org/association/about.html NIH/National Eye Institute 31 Center Dr MSC 2510 Bethesda, MD 20892-2510 United States Tel: (301)496-5248 Fax: (301)402-1065 Email: Internet: http://www.nei.nih.gov/ Association for Retinopathy of Prematurity and Related Diseases P.O.Box 250425 Franklin, MI 48025 Tel: (248)549-2671 Fax: (248)788-4589 Tel: (800)788-2020 Email: Internet: http://www.ropard.org MUMS National Parent-to-Parent Network 150 Custer Court Green Bay, WI 54301-1243 USA Tel: (920)336-5333 Fax: (920)339-0995 Tel: (877)336-5333 Email: Internet: http://www.netnet.net/mums/ MD Support - The Eyes of the Macular Degeneration Community 3600 Blue Ridge Blvd Grandview, MO 64030 USA Tel: (816)761-7080 Fax: (816)761-7080 Email: Internet: http://www.mdsupport.org Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information Center PO Box 8126 Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8126 Tel: (301)251-4925 Fax: (301)251-4911 Tel: (888)205-2311 TDD: (888)205-3223 Email: http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD/EmailForm.aspx Internet: http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD

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