what the Retinal Pigment Epithelium is?
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Signs and Symptoms
In most instances, serous detachment of the RPE occurs asymptomatically. Only in those cases in which the macula is affected will patients report blurred vision, metamorphopsia, micropsia, or positive scotomas. Other associated clinical findings may include induced hyperopia and delayed retinal recovery time on the photostress test. Most individuals with RPE detachment are male, between the ages of 20 and 60 years. The history often reveals predisposing or concurrent ocular conditions such as macular degeneration, idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy (ICSC), angioid streaks, presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS), or hereditary choroidal degeneration. In other cases, the condition occurs idiopathically.
RPE detachment appears ophthalmoscopically as single or multiple, well-circumscribed round or oval lesions within the posterior fundus. The lesions are typically dome-shaped with slight elevation and appear yellow to orange in color. A reddish "halo" is often seen around the base of the detachment, and overlying pigment defects such as clumping or mottling are commonplace. Lesions may vary in size from one-fifth to over 5 disc diameters (DD), but most are less than 1 DD. Fluorescein and indocyanine green (ICG) angiography show early hyperfluorescence of the entire RPE detachment, which persists throughout the angiogram demonstrating late pooling. Leakage into the sensory retina occurs only in cases of concurrent serous retinal detachment.
Pathophysiology
Basically, it's the pigment cell layer that nourishes the retinal cells. It's located outside the retina and is attached to the choroid, which is a layer that has blood vessals in it to nourish the retina.
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