This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Stanford, M R Articles by Pavesio, C Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Stanford, M R Articles by Pavesio, C

The visual field in toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, St Thomas’s Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7EH, UK
² Uveitis Service, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Mr M R Stanford
MD, FRCOphth, Medical Eye Unit, St Thomas’s Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7EH, UK; miles.stanford{at}kcl.ac.uk

ABSTRACT
Aims: To document loss of central field in patients with scars from toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis close to the disc after resolution of disease.

Methods: Patients with a clinical diagnosis of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis were enrolled from four centres. Automated central visual field testing was performed when their disease had settled and retinal photographs of the lesions were taken. The type of central field defect (whether absolute or relative) and whether it broke out to the periphery were correlated with the size of the retinochoroidal scar and its proximity to the optic nerve head.

Results: 69 eyes were enrolled; 16 (26%) were discarded because of poor field performance. Of the 53 remaining eyes, 31 showed absolute defects and 20 relative defects. Scars within one disc diameter of the disc were more likely to be associated with absolute defects breaking out to the periphery.

Conclusion: The scarring induced by toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis is associated with considerable field loss when it occurs close to the optic nerve head. Current treatment is unlikely to ameliorate this situation. The degree of visual field loss should be an outcome measure for future trials of the efficacy of treatment trials for the disease.

Keywords: visual fields; toxoplasma; retinochoroiditis

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. L Orefice, R. A Costa, F. Orefice, W. Campos, D. da Costa-Lima Jr, and I. U Scott Vitreoretinal morphology in active ocular toxoplasmosis: a prospective study by optical coherence tomography Br. J. Ophthalmol., June 1, 2007; 91(6): 773 - 780. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Scherrer, M. E Iliev, M. Halberstadt, L. Kodjikian, and J. G Garweg Visual function in human ocular toxoplasmosis Br. J. Ophthalmol., February 1, 2007; 91(2): 233 - 236. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]