C Y S T O I D . M A C U L A R . E D E M A
OR CME IS A PAINLESS DISORDER CHARACTERIZED BY CYST-LIKE SWELLING WITHIN
THE MACULAR REGION OF THE RETINA. SINCE THE MACULA IS COMPROMISED BY THE
SWELLING, CENTRAL VISION IS COMPROMISED & SYMPTOMS ARE TYPICALLY BLURRED AND
DECREASED CENTRAL VISION.

THIS IS A FUNDUS PHOTO AND A LATE PHASE ANGIOGRAM (6 MINUTES 31 SECONDS) OF A RETINA
EXHIBITING CME. THERE APPEARS TO BE EVIDENCE OF AN OLD OCCLUSION AND THE CME
MAY BE SECONDARY TO THAT. ENJOY THIS HAIKU REGARDING THE ANGIOGRAM.

NOTE PETAL PATTERNS
IN THE MACULA DUE TO
HYPER FLUORESCENCE
06/01/07
TODAY, IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE HYPER-FLUORESCENT PETAL PATTERN IN MY ANGIOGRAM (TYPICAL IN CME PATIENTS) IS, IN FACT, SECONDARY TO THE MACULAR SWELLING AND THAT MY HAIKU IS NOT TECHNICALLY ACURATE. ALLOW ME TO REPHRASE:
HYPER FLUORESCENCE
IN THE MACULA IS DUE
TO THE EDEMA

SCANS - I
E Y E S Y S
IN RECENT WEEKS, I HAVE BEEN TRAINING WITH THE CAROLINA EYE
SCANS DEPT TO OPERATE SEVERAL DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING MACHINES.
ITS NOT PHOTOGRAPHY - PER SE, BUT IT IS IMAGING; AND I'M DIGGING IT!
THE EYESYS MEASURES THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CORNEA. BELOW ARE SOME
VIEWS OF THIS MACHINE AND HOW OUR PATIENTS WOULD INTERFACE WITH IT.
THE PATIENT LOOKS INTO A SERIES OF RINGS OF LIGHT WITH A TINY
VIDEO CAMERA IN THE VERY CENTER. (ONE EYE AT A TIME) THE EYESYS
CAPTURES IMAGES OF ITS OWN RINGS REFLECTED IN THE SURFACES
OF THE PATIENT'S CORNEAS. (AS SHOWN BELOW)THEN IT CONVERTS THESE IMAGES INTO GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATIONS OF
THE TOPOGRAPHICAL DATA. HERE ARE THE TOPOGRAPHY SCANS OF EACH EYE

THIS PATIENT HAS K E R A T O C O N U S

ENOUGH PATHOLOGY, TIME FOR SOME:

A N A T O M YTHE OPTIC DISC IS THE POINT WHERE THE OPTIC NERVE ENTERS THE RETINA
THE MACULA IS THE PIGMENTED AREA OF THE RETINA THAT IS RICH IN CONES
AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEAR DETAILED VISION
THE FOVEA IS A SMALL RODLESS AREA OF THE MACULA THAT PROVIDES ACUTE VISION

M E L A N O M A

THIS PATIENT HAS A CHOROIDAL MELANOMA IN THE SUPERIOR TEMPORAL

REGION OF THE RETINA (IDENTIFIED BY THE ARROW BELOW).

HERE IS THE
A N G I O G R A P H Y THIS VIEW OF THE RETINA IS COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS "FIELD 4" IN OPTHALMIC PHOTOGRAPHY

CENTRAL SEROUS RETINOPATHY
IS A IDIOPATHIC CONDITION (SOMETIMES TEMPORARY) THAT IS
CHARACTERIZED BY A LEAKAGE OF FLUID IN THE CENTRAL MACULAR
REGION OF THE RETINA RESULTING IN BLURRED OR DISTORTED VISION.

IN THIS ANGIOGRAM I PERFORMED, YOU CAN FIRST SPOT THE LEAKAGE IN THE MACULA
IN THE THIRD FRAME OF THE ANGIOGRAM AND TRACK HOW IT GROWS THRU FRAME NINE.
(THE ORDER OF FRAMES GOES RIGHT TO LEFT FOR WHATEVER REASON.)

C O T T O N W O O L S P O T SCOTTON WOOL SPOTS ARE INFARCTS IN THE NERVE FIBER LAYER OF THE RETINA
CAUSED BY POOR BLOOD FLOW IN OR AN OBSTRUCTION OF SMALL CAPILLARIES (ISCHEMIA).
ALTHOUGH THEY CAN DISAPPEAR WITHOUT TREATMENT, THEIR PRESENCE TYPICALLY
INDICATES A MORE SERIOUS SYSTEMIC PROBLEM SUCH AS DIABETES OR H.I.V.
THEY OBVIOUSLY GOT THEIR NAME DUE TO THEIR RESEMBLANCE TO COTTON-WOOL ...WHATEVER THAT IS.