Retinoschisis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

Retinoschisis is a medical condition that is responsible for splitting the retina into sections. The retina gets separated from its other layers. This allows the development of cysts in between the distant layers affecting the person’s visual abilities.

Since the cause of the disease is under shade, its development is not quite understood. While most cases show its presence in their early 20s or at birth, some of them have had the abnormality in their old age.

The disease is divided into two categories:

• Juvenile X-linked retinoschisis: It affects the middle part of the retina named macula and usually shows its effect on both the eyes at the neonatal stage. It is a slow-progressing disease that might show its effects at the start but it gradually weakens the patient’s visual abilities.

  It is not treated on time, the distance between retina will increase to extend onto which they completely separate from each other and cause permanent damage to the eyes.

• Degenerative (senile) retinoschisis: It affects individuals in later stages of life. Scientists believe that it is merely due to organ weakening and not a genetic abnormality. It is not damaging as JXR so it does not show any signs except vision weakening.

Summary: Retinoschisis is a disease that causes a gap between the layers of the retina causing diminished visual ability.

Symptoms and the development stages of Retinoschisis are not quite clear. However, scientists have looked through some common signs that can tell you if something is wrong with your eyes. Mention below some symptoms that can be seen at any point of lifeline:

• Troubling reading
• Strabismus
• Farsightedness
• Bleeding in the eyes

Summary: Symptoms of Retinoschisis may include common signs that may indicate eye weakness. It can be seen at any point in life.

In general, the cause of Retinoschisis is unknown. For both categories the source of development is undefined. However, scientists have some groundwork for Retinoschisis which can conclude something.

Since Juvenile X-linked retinoschisis is detected at the time of birth in some cases, medical researchers believe that it is a genetic disorder. They found traces of development in the RS1 gene which is present under X-linked recessive traits.

This shows that if the mother has an active or deactivated inheritance of genetic deformation, there are 50-50 chances that it can be seen in the child as well. The theory does not have any information about the role of the father in the mutation process. JXR can be both autosomal recessive or dominant in nature.

On the other hand, Degenerative retinoschisis is not related to any form of genetic inheritance. It is just a normal case of organ degradation due to old age.

Summary: The root cause of Retinoschisis is still unestablished. Scientists are working to look for some solid cause of the disease.

Retinoschisis shows its presence when a person started to have an unusual vague vision. So your doctor will conduct some general eye examination which tests your visual abilities. This will ensure the detection of weak focus, central or side blindness. If that does not define the root cause your doctor will prescribe some lab test which includes:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
• Electroretinogram (ERG)
• Ultrasound
• Genetic testing to look for RS1 gene mutation

Summary: Retinoschisis can be diagnosed with the help of genetic testing and screening tests that can show the presence of a gap between the retina layers.

The genetic part of Retinoschisis cannot be prevented. Genetic abnormalities are not possible to prevent or treat so far. But the non-genetic part of the disease can be prevented with the help of a healthy lifestyle. Try to follow things that can help your eyesight to be healthy. This will not only keep the progress of the disease at a slower pace.

But it will decrease your chances of developing it at older ages. There is no specific preventive methodology that has been designed yet. Consult your doctor to collect information on the best preventive methods.

Summary: The preventive methods for Retinoschisis are undefined. You can pursue some common preventive methods to have healthy eyes but under your doctor’s consultation.

Signs of Retinoschisis fall under critical emergencies so it's important to see your doctor as soon as possible. Critical cases of such diseases are almost impossible to detect. The nature of the disease is unstable in its effects. For some it does not cause any issues, for others, it can be cause complete blindness.

Summary: Consult your medical practitioner as soon as possible if you experience any signs that show the presence of vision weakness or Retinoschisis.

Physical illnesses like Retinoschisis cannot go away on their own. Even though it is a slowly progressive disease and does not show its signs in the affected population for a longer period of time, it cannot go away on its own without medical aid.

Summary: No, Retinoschisis cannot go away without medical treatment.

Individuals with senile retinoschisis don't need any treatment. However, your ophthalmologist may ask you to wear glasses and keep your eye health in check.

In the case of Juvenile X-linked retinoschisis, your doctor will suggest you some methods of treatment to control the damage caused by Retinoschisis:

• Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
• Cryotherapy
• Therapeutic including vitamin A supplements

While surgery is used to rearrange the retina to its original place, other treatments are used to manage the damage caused by the displacement.

Summary: Retinoschisis treatment is only prescribed to its patients under serious circumstances. In other cases, one may not need any form of treatment as it is a very slowly developing disease.

Even though there is no scientific evidence that can prove the effects of vitamin A in the treatment of Retinoschisis, doctors recommend consuming vitamin A-rich food to ensure overall optic health. Consult your doctor before making any decision.

Summary: Eating vitamin A-rich food can be beneficial to maintain healthy eyesight. However, there is no medical evidence to support its effects in the treatment of Retinoschisis.

Avoid foods that have caffeine, sugar, spice, artificial flavoring, processed or fat. These forms of food directly affect the overall health of your body. They also weaken your immunity and degrade your body which can directly impact your visual skills. There is no scientific evidence that it will worsen Retinoschisis, but yes it can speed up the degradation process.

Summary: Avoid an unhealthy diet that includes fast food, processed foods, or items with artificial ingredients or flavoring to maintain your eye health.

Since there are limited options available to treat Retinoschisis. The side effects of the treatment have been researched in detail. Here are some of the side effects of each individual method of treatment used for Retinoschisis:

• Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
• Diarrhoea
• General discomfort or irritation
• Frequent urination
• Loss of appetite
• metallic mouth taste
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Tingling, numbness, or burning in hands, feet, mouth, or anus.
• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Cryotherapy
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Redness
• Irritation

Summary: Side effects of Retinoschisis depend on the method of treatment that has been selected. While vitamin A supplies don't have any adverse side effects, other methods should be used under medical supervision.

The urgency to see medical aid under Retinoschisis hasn’t been cleared yet. Since it is a slowly progressive disease, its effects may not damage your eye within a few hours. However, it can cause permanent damage under delayed diagnosis and treatment. So it is important to see your doctor as soon as possible to avoid permanent damage.

Summary: Suggestion is that you must see your doctor if you are experiencing weakness in your vision.

Retinoschisis has not been completely researched on its effects and cause, which decrease the success rate of the current treatment plan. So far no case has shown complete recovery. One has to pursue the treatment on a permanent basis to control the effects of this medical condition.

Summary: No, there is no set recovery period stated for the Retinoschisis treatment plan.

The price of Retinoschisis may vary from one place to another. It includes medication, surgery, and consultation with your medical expert. One can assume the lump sum of the whole procedure is around 1-2 lakhs per year.

Depending upon the need for surgery or therapy. In that case, the cost might fluctuate as eye surgery alone cost in India starts from 15 thousand and can go up to 1.5 lakhs.

Summary: The treatment price of Retinoschisis may come under 1-2 lakhs per year. This can fluctuate if an individual needs surgery.

Since the disease only affects the optic health of an individual, the physical health of the rest of the body will be the same. You can indulge in any physical activity at any intensity. Just ensure that it does not put pressure on your eyesight. Also if your eyesight is too weak to see clearly, have a regime that doesn't need visual assistance.

Summary: Any form of physical activity can be pursued by the patient of Retinoschisis. It does not affect the outgoing treatment plan.

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and vitamin A supplements are considered to be the best medications to treat Retinoschisis. Your doctor will keep a constant dosage on therapeutics and Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. They are effective management techniques but they can have certain side effects if not taken appropriately.

Summary: Medications like Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and vitamin A supplements are considered to be the best medication to manage the effects of Retinoschisis.

The root cause of the treatment is still under the shade which makes the methods of treatment unstable. There is no permanent evidence related to the efficiency of the treatment, however, all the cases of Retinoschisis show no permanent recovery whatsoever.

Summary: No, the results of the treatments are not permanent. One has to undergo treatment.

Methods of treatment that are available to cure Retinoschisis are quite limited. In this case, it is hard to look for an alternative treatment. Consult your doctor to know if your medications can have alternatives that will suit your health.

Summary: At present no alternatives have been discovered to replace the current method of treatment used for Retinoschisis.

People who are diagnosed with Retinoschisis or have a gap between the retina due to other reasons are eligible for the treatment plan.

Summary: Individuals with Retinoschisis can pursue the course of treatment.

People who are not diagnosed with Retinoschisis or do not have a gap between the retina due to other reasons are eligible for the treatment plan.

Summary: People who are not suffering from Retinoschisis are not eligible for the treatment.

There are no certain treatment guidelines available to manage the disease. One can go with the current treatment and therapeutics prescribed because of the irreversible nature of the disease.

Summary: No post-treatment guidelines are available to cure Retinoschisis.

Summary: Retinoschisis is a medical condition that is responsible for splitting the retina into sections. This dislocation of the retina can cause the weakening of visual abilities. The disease has been sub-categorized into two parts named Juvenile X-linked retinoschisis and Degenerative (senile) retinoschisis. The cause of this disease is undefined, as medical practitioners have several theories behind it. The treatment plan includes medications and surgery that will help in the management of Retinoschisis.