Retinal haemorrhage

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Retinal hemorrhage is a disorder of the eye in which bleeding occurs into the light sensitive tissue on the back wall of the eye. A retinal hemorrhage can be caused by hypertension, retinal vein occlusion (a blockage of a retinal vein), or diabetes mellitus (which causes small fragile blood vessels to form, which are easily damaged). Retinal hemorrhages can also occur due to shaking, particularly in young infants (shaken baby syndrome) or from severe blows to the head.

Retinal hemorrhages that take place outside the macula can go undetected for many years, and may sometimes only be picked up when the eye is examined in detail by ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography, or a dilated fundus exam. However, some retinal hemorrhages can cause severe impairment of vision. They may occur in connection with posterior vitreous detachment or retinal detachment.

Video Retinal haemorrhage

Signs and symptoms

Maps Retinal haemorrhage

Cause

Retinal haemorrhages commonly occur in high attitude climbers, most likely due to the effects of systemic hypoxia on the eye. Risk is correlated with the maximum altitude reached, duration of exposure to high altitude conditions, and climb rate.

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Diagnosis

A retinal haemorrhage is generally diagnosed by using an ophthalmoscope or fundus camera in order to examine the inside of the eye. A fluorescent dye is often injected into the patient's bloodstream beforehand so the administering ophthalmologist can have a more detailed view of the blood vessels in the retina.

The fluorescent dye can have dangerous side effects: see Fluorescein

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Treatment

Retinal haemorrhages, especially mild ones not associated with chronic disease, will normally resorb without treatment. Laser surgery is a treatment option which uses a laser beam to seal off damaged blood vessels in the retina. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs like Avastin and Lucentis have also been shown to repair retinal haemorrhaging in diabetic patients and patients with haemorrhages associated with new vessel growth.

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See also

• Visual impairment

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References

src: stroke.ahajournals.org

External links

• Currie, A D M; Bentley, C. R.; Bloom, P. A. (2001). "Short report: Retinal haemorrhage and fatal stroke in an infant with fibromuscular dysplasia". Archives of Disease in Childhood. 84 (3): 263-4. doi:10.1136/adc.84.3.263. PMC 1718691 . PMID 11207180. 
• Zuccoli, Giulio; Panigrahy, Ashok; Haldipur, Anshul; Willaman, Dennis; Squires, Janet; Wolford, Jennifer; Sylvester, Christin; Mitchell, Ellen; Lope, Lee Ann; Nischal, Ken K.; Berger, Rachel P. (2013). "Susceptibility weighted imaging depicts retinal hemorrhages in abusive head trauma". Neuroradiology. 55 (7): 889-93. doi:10.1007/s00234-013-1180-7. PMC 3713254 . PMID 23568702. 

Source of article : Wikipedia