| Coats' disease is a chronic, progressive
disorder that affects the retina, the light-sensitive
nerve layer at the back of the eye. Coats' disease is
an abnormal growth spurt of the small blood vessels (capillaries)
that nourish the retina. The fragile abnormal vessels
break and leak the clear serum part of the blood into
the retina, causing the retina to swell.
Coats' disease usually affects children (especially
boys) in the first ten years of life, but it can also
affect young adults. The condition affects central vision,
typically in only one eye. Severity can range from mild
vision loss to total retinal detachment and blindness.
No cause has yet been identified for Coats' disease.
The leaking blood vessels can be treated with laser
surgery or cryotherapy (freezing). If the retina is
detached, a vitrectomy to replace the vitreous (the
clear gel-like substance inside the eye) with a gas
bubble may be necessary to restore vision. |
