Waxy pallor of the optic disc is seen in which disease?
Correct Answer: Retinitis pigmentosa
Description: (Refer: AK Khurana Comprehensive Ophthalmology, 6th edition, pg no. 287) Bony corpuscles like black pigments in the retina especially in the mid-periphery, Narrowing of retinal aerioles and waxy pallor of the optic disc are the triad of retinitis pigmentosa. Type of optic atrophy seen in this condition is consecutive optic atrophy. causes: The initial retinal degenerative symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa are characterized by decreased night vision (nyctalopia) and the loss of the mid-peripheral visual field. The rod photoreceptor cells, which are responsible for low-light vision and are orientated in the retinal periphery, are the retinal processes affected first during non-syndromic forms of this disease.Visual decline progresses relatively quickly to the far peripheral field, eventually extending into the central visual field as tunnel vision increases. Visual acuity and color vision can become compromised due to accompanying abnormalities in the cone photoreceptor cells, which are responsible for color vision, visual acuity, and sight in the central visual field.The progression of disease symptoms occurs in a symmetrical manner, with both the left and right eyes experiencing symptoms at a similar rate. A variety of indirect symptoms characterize retinitis pigmentosa along with the direct effects of the initial rod photoreceptor degeneration and later cone photoreceptor decline. Phenomena such as photophobia, which describes the event in which light is perceived as an intense glare, and photopsia, the presence of blinking, swirling or shimmering lights within the visual field, often manifest during the later stages of RP. Findings related to RP have often been characterized in the fundus of the eye as the "ophthalamic triad". This includes the development of a mottled appearance of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) caused by bony spicule formation, a waxy appearance of the optic nerve, and the attenuation of blood vessels in the retina. Non-syndromic RP usually presents a variety of the following symptoms: Night blindness Tunnel vision (due to loss of peripheral vision) Latticework vision Photopsia (blinking/swirling/shimmering lights) Photophobia (aversion to bright lights) Development of bone spicules in the fundus Slow adjustment from dark to light environments and vice versa Blurring of vision Poor color separation Loss of central vision Eventual blindness
Category:
Ophthalmology
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