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Central Serous Retinopathy in Twins
NOTES, CASES, INSTRUMENTS
mother and two daughters, there was a his tory of consanguinity (first cousins) in the grandparents of the probandus. The mi crophthalmos was unique in that the right eye in all three patients was smaller than the left eye, representing monocular hereditary transmission of the size of the eye. All these patients had pendular nystagmus. Many authors classify microphthalmos into three groups: (1) pure microphthalmos (2)colobomatous microphthalmos and (3) complicated microphthalmos. Our family manifests the complicated type, since all the affected patients had cataracts. Many other general malformations have been de scribed with microphthalmos, among them
1265
the irregular implantation of the teeth seen Generation IV, Case 2. All modes of inheritance have been de scribed in complicated microphthalmos, in cluding the sex-linked recessive (Sj^gren and Larsson). From our pedigree we were unable to establish the mode of inheritance definitely, since only three females were affected in two generations. However, the history of consanguinity of the maternal grandparents suggests an autosomal reces sive mode of inheritance, as does the fact that the probandus had a sister affected with microphthalmos. Department of Ophthalmology University Hospital.
REFERENCES
Ash, W. M.: Hereditary microphthalmia. Brit. M. J., 1:558, 1922. Bruns, H. : Microphthalmus with cataracts. Am. J. Ophth., 16:68, 1899. Cuendet, J. F.: La microphtalmie compliquée. Ophthalmologica, 141:380-385, 1961 Franceschetti, A., and Klein, D.: Les affections génétiques en'ophthalmologie. Encyclopédie MedicoChirurgical, Paris, 1955. François, J. : L'Heredite en Ophthalmologie. Paris, Masson et Cie, 1958. Sj^gren, T., and Larsson, T.: Microphthalmus with oligophrenia. Acta. Psych. & Neurol. Suppl. 56, 1949. Woolff, T.: A microphthalmic family. Proc. Roy. Soc. Med., 23:623, 1929-1930.
CENTRAL SEROUS R E T I N O P A T H Y IN T W I N S GEORGE J. W Y M A N ,
M.D.
Peoria, Illinois
Central angiospastic retinopathy has been described by von Graefe in 1866 and by many other observers under a variety of names. The etiology remains obscure. Toxic factors as well as vasospasms are among the most popular causes. Recently, I had an ex perience which I believe is unique and worth reporting. CASE REPORT
On May 21, 1960, a physician, aged 40 years, consulted me because he was seeing, as he described it, a "circle around lights" with the left eye. Visual acuity was 20/20 in each eye but fundus examina tion revealed an edematous macula on the left. He was placed on steroids by mouth and nicotinic acid. His symptoms gradually disappeared over a threeweek period.
On June 25, 1960, his identical twin, a drug salesman came in with a history of distortion and blurry vision in the right eye for approximately one month. When seen, the vision in the right eye was 20/70 ; left eye 20/20. The right macula showed a definite edema with some flecks of exudate. He received the same therapy as his twin, but the edema persisted for several months because he stopped treatment on his own. On November 5, 1960, visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye, the fundus looked normal and symptoms had disap peared.
The mechanism that produces a central serous retinopathy remains unknown. Here are reported two identical twins who at the age of 40 years developed similar conditions one in the right eye, the other the left eye, and both within a week or two of the other. Interestingly enough the second brother did not know his twin had a similar difficulty until the father remarked about it. 1200 Hamilton Boulevard.
mother and two daughters, there was a his tory of consanguinity (first cousins) in the grandparents of the probandus. The mi crophthalmos was unique in that the right eye in all three patients was smaller than the left eye, representing monocular hereditary transmission of the size of the eye. All these patients had pendular nystagmus. Many authors classify microphthalmos into three groups: (1) pure microphthalmos (2)colobomatous microphthalmos and (3) complicated microphthalmos. Our family manifests the complicated type, since all the affected patients had cataracts. Many other general malformations have been de scribed with microphthalmos, among them
1265
the irregular implantation of the teeth seen Generation IV, Case 2. All modes of inheritance have been de scribed in complicated microphthalmos, in cluding the sex-linked recessive (Sj^gren and Larsson). From our pedigree we were unable to establish the mode of inheritance definitely, since only three females were affected in two generations. However, the history of consanguinity of the maternal grandparents suggests an autosomal reces sive mode of inheritance, as does the fact that the probandus had a sister affected with microphthalmos. Department of Ophthalmology University Hospital.
REFERENCES
Ash, W. M.: Hereditary microphthalmia. Brit. M. J., 1:558, 1922. Bruns, H. : Microphthalmus with cataracts. Am. J. Ophth., 16:68, 1899. Cuendet, J. F.: La microphtalmie compliquée. Ophthalmologica, 141:380-385, 1961 Franceschetti, A., and Klein, D.: Les affections génétiques en'ophthalmologie. Encyclopédie MedicoChirurgical, Paris, 1955. François, J. : L'Heredite en Ophthalmologie. Paris, Masson et Cie, 1958. Sj^gren, T., and Larsson, T.: Microphthalmus with oligophrenia. Acta. Psych. & Neurol. Suppl. 56, 1949. Woolff, T.: A microphthalmic family. Proc. Roy. Soc. Med., 23:623, 1929-1930.
CENTRAL SEROUS R E T I N O P A T H Y IN T W I N S GEORGE J. W Y M A N ,
M.D.
Peoria, Illinois
Central angiospastic retinopathy has been described by von Graefe in 1866 and by many other observers under a variety of names. The etiology remains obscure. Toxic factors as well as vasospasms are among the most popular causes. Recently, I had an ex perience which I believe is unique and worth reporting. CASE REPORT
On May 21, 1960, a physician, aged 40 years, consulted me because he was seeing, as he described it, a "circle around lights" with the left eye. Visual acuity was 20/20 in each eye but fundus examina tion revealed an edematous macula on the left. He was placed on steroids by mouth and nicotinic acid. His symptoms gradually disappeared over a threeweek period.
On June 25, 1960, his identical twin, a drug salesman came in with a history of distortion and blurry vision in the right eye for approximately one month. When seen, the vision in the right eye was 20/70 ; left eye 20/20. The right macula showed a definite edema with some flecks of exudate. He received the same therapy as his twin, but the edema persisted for several months because he stopped treatment on his own. On November 5, 1960, visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye, the fundus looked normal and symptoms had disap peared.
The mechanism that produces a central serous retinopathy remains unknown. Here are reported two identical twins who at the age of 40 years developed similar conditions one in the right eye, the other the left eye, and both within a week or two of the other. Interestingly enough the second brother did not know his twin had a similar difficulty until the father remarked about it. 1200 Hamilton Boulevard.