Retinoschisis

The eye is like a camera. There are two lenses in the front of the eye that focus light onto a light sensitive membrane in the back of the eye known as the retina. The retina is like the film in a camera. It has a central area known as the macula which is responsible for fine vision and color vision. There is a near peripheral area of the retina responsible for side vision and night vision. The far peripheral area of the retina is not involved with vision.

Retinoschises is a term that describes the splitting of the retina into two layers. This splitting causes a blister to appear in the retina. There are many different kinds of retinoschises.

One common kind of retinoschises is called typical or age related retinoschises. This type of retinoschises is usually harmless and rarely affects central vision because it occurs in the far periphery of the retina. Typical or age related retinoschises is present in one percent of adults and is found in both eyes approximately one third of the time.

The second type of retinoschises is known as reticular retinoschises. Reticular retinoschises can sometimes be associated with holes in the retina. These holes may result in a retinal detachment occurring. A retinal detachment occurs when fluid inside the eye goes through a hole in the retina causing the retina to separate from its blood supply behind it.

Some patients with reticular retinoschises are advised to have laser or freezing therapy in order to seal the retinal holes or to cause a collapse of the retinoschises blister. If a retinal detachment becomes very large, then major surgery known as vitrectomy surgery is sometimes necessary to preserve central vision. Reticular retinoschises is present in less than two percent of adults and is found in both eyes only fifteen percent of the time.

A third type of retinoschises is known as X-linked or hereditary retinoschises. This rare type of retinoschises affects mostly males. In this type of retinoschises central vision is usually affected and this disease is often first diagnosed in children.

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