Coat's Disease

Coat's Disease: A very rare cogential, nonhereditary eye disorder that can cause full or partial blindness, which is characterized by abnormal development of blood vessels behind the retina. Coat's disease usually only affects one eye and occurs mainly in young males,which usually occurs in the first ten years of their life. The age of peak onset is anywhere between 6 to 8 years old, but can also range from 5 months to 71 years old. Coat's disease is normally a slow progressing disease, but at the advanced stages retinal detachment is likely to occur. Coat's is a painless disorder.

Signs and Symptoms: The most common sign is leukocoria (abnormal white reflection of the retina). Symptoms will begin with blurred vision, deteoriation of sight may begin in either the central or peripheral vision, flashes of light, floaters, and persistant color patterns may also be percieved in the affected eye. Most often these symptoms are percieved as hallucinations, but are actually retinal detachment and foreign fluids mechanically interacting with photoreceptors located on the retina. Another sign of Coat's is yellow-eye in flash photography, like the red-eye effect that is caused by the reflection of normal blood vessels in the back of a normal eye and a yellow-eye effect will glow yellow in photographs as light reflects off cholestrol deposits.

Diagnosis: Funduscopic eye exam. Ultrasound, CT, and MRI are used to diagnosis Coat's disease.

Treatment: In the early stages of Coat's laser surgery or cryotherapy (freezing) can be used to destroy the abnormal blood vessels, which can hault the progression of Coat's. If the leaking blood vessels are clustered around the optic nerve these treatments are not recommened. Coat's disease may stop progressing on its own, either temporarily or permantely. Removal of the eye is also another treatment if pain or further complications occur.

A case of Coats' disease, showing total retinal detachment with subretinal exudate containing cholesterol crystals and a fibrous nodule in the posterior pole.

Computed Tomography image of a patient with Coats' disease, showing total exudative retinal detachment in the right eye.

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