Macular diseases treatment at OKKO Eye Specialist Centre

Central serous chorioretinopathy, commonly referred to as CSCR, is a condition in which fluid accumulates under the retina that can result in vision loss.

CSCR most often occurs in young and middle-aged adults. For unknown reasons, men develop this condition more commonly than women. Vision loss is usually temporary but sometimes can become chronic or recur.

The causes of CSCR are not fully understood, however, medical professionals believe that systemic exposure to corticosteroid drugs (steroid hormones) can trigger or worsen CSCR.

Your specialist will conduct a complete dilated eye examination in both eyes and will obtain imaging of the retina. They may take retinal photographs to document the appearance of the disease.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a retinal scan that is very helpful in diagnosing CSCR; it enables to see the retina at the microscopic level. This makes it possible to identify very small pockets of fluid or retinal scarring (once the fluid has subsided) in acute or chronic CSCR.

Fluorescein angiography is a test in which your specialist injects dye into a vein in your arm vein, and a machine takes pictures of each eye to detect leakage of the dye beneath the your retina. This test, along with OCT, can help your ophthalmologist diagnose CSCR, and to distinguish it from other retinal diseases causing fluid in the macula.

Early detection of CSCR is very helpful, and most eyes with chronic or recurrent CSCR can be treated successfully to avoid permanent vision loss.

CSCR can often spontaneously improve without treatment, however, monitoring with your ophthalmologist is still required to ensure that this successfully occurs. However, if the course of a CSCR episode becomes protracted (chronic) or recurrent then your ophthalmologist may recommend treatment such as macular laser to stabilise the vision and prevent further visual decline.1

Laser treatment is painless and can target the source of fluid leakage under the retina.

About half of patients diagnosed with CSCR have at least one relative with findings of the disease. This indicates that there may be a genetic tendency; however, no specific inheritance pattern has been identified.

Patients with high blood pressure or heart disease and those with current or recent pregnancy have been shown to have a higher risk of developing CSCR.

Beyond corticosteroids, there is evidence that other drugs including stimulants, decongestants, erectile dysfunction medications, and some anti-cancer agents may trigger CSCR.

Most people usually recover from the condition within 4 to 6 months and won’t need any treatment. If the condition has lasted up to a year and is severely impacting your life, laser treatment may help.