Retinopathy is a general term that refers to some form of non-inflammatory damage to the retina of the eye. Most commonly it is a problem with the blood supply that is the cause for this condition. Frequently, retinopathy is an ocular manifestation of systemic disease.

Pathophysiology

Main causes of retinopathy are : Fact: date=June 2008

• diabetes - diabetic retinopathy
• arterial hypertension - hypertensive retinopathy
• prematurity of the newborn - retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
• sickle cell anemia
• genetic retinopathy
• direct sunlight exposure - solar retinopathy
• medicinal products - drug-related retinopathy
• retinal vein or artery occlusion

Many types of retinopathy are progressive and may result in blindness or severe vision loss or impairment, particularly if the macula becomes affected.Fact: date=June 2008

Retinopathy is diagnosed by an optometrist or an ophthalmologist during ophthalmoscopy. Treatment depends on the cause of the disease.

Relation of genetic retinopathies to other rare genetic disorders

Recent findings in genetic research have suggested that a large number of genetic disorders, both genetic syndromes and genetic diseases, that were not previously identified in the medical literature as related, may be, in fact, highly related in the genetypical root cause of the widely-varying, phenotypically-observed disorders. Thus, some genetically-caused retinopathies are the result of one or more underlying ciliopathies, an emerging new class of human genetic disorders. Other known ciliopathies include primary ciliary dyskinesia, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, polycystic kidney and liver disease, nephronophthisis, Alstrom syndrome, and Meckel-Gruber syndrome..

See also

• List of eye diseases and disorders
• List of systemic diseases with ocular manifestations

External links

• Eyetalk - Forum for Retinal Screeners
• The Importance of Being Cilia Accessible article at Howard Hughes Medical Institute on the importance and extensive use of cilia and basal bodies in many organ systems of human physiology, including for transfer of retinal nutrients.