Coloboma: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
Posted by Accuspire on Jun 30th 2020
In this condition the normal tissue around eyes are missing right from birth. The name comes from Greek word which means curtailed. When a fetus is of three months, the eyes start to develop and choroidal fissure, a gap appears at the bottom of the stalk. The eye is formed in the gap and the fissures close by seventh week. If the fissure does not close, a coloboma is formed.It can affect a single eye or both the eyes. It can affect differently or in the same way if both the eyes are involved.
The coloboma is of different types. lens coloboma - missing piece of lens, eyelid coloboma - missing piece of upper or lower eyelid, uveal coloboma- the middle layer of eye is known as uvea and it affects the Iris giving a cat eye appearance, chorioretinal coloboma - A retinal part is missing in this type, macular coloboma - the macula does not develop normally in this type, optic nerve coloboma - the optic nerve is hollowed out and the vision is reduced.
Symptoms of Coloboma
The symptoms differ according to the place of occurence. When the iris is affected by coloboma, keyhole or cat eye appearance is formed in the pupil and it is easily noticeable. When a person is suffering from eyelid coloboma, he will have a notch or defect in the eyelid. People who have coloboma in the front portion of eye may have vision problems. Children who are affected with optic nerve coloboma and macular coloboma will have reduced vision and field defect if they have retinal coloboma. There is loss of vision in a specific place when children suffer from retinal coloboma. They will also have sensitivity to light.
Coloboma is also passed from one family person to another and is genetic. It also denotes a genetic syndrome sometimes eg. Cat eye syndrome in Iris coloboma, a rare disorder caused by genetic mutation.
Diagnosis of Coloboma
Coloboma is easily diagnosed through a complete eye examination done by ophthalmologist. Ophthalmoscope is used to inspect the patient’s eye. Visual acuity test is also done in children to assess the vision.
Treatment of Coloboma
Coloboma does not have a cure and treatment varies according to the type of coloboma a patient is suffering from. Usually colored contact lenses are worn by patient suffering from Iris coloboma and surgery is also done to correct this condition. Eyelid coloboma is easily treated with surgery. Low vision devices also provided to patients who have cataract and new blood vessel growth. Sometimes the ophthalmologist patches the unaffected eye using special eye drops or glasses to keep the eye away from developing amblyopia. This treatment has proved effective for people who have severe coloboma to correct vision.
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