Radiation Retinopathy Following Cephalic Radiation

ABSTRACT

Radiation retinopathy is a slowly progressive vaso-occlusive microangiopathy of the retina, following irradiation of the head and the eye. Factors in the pathogenesis of this condition include total radiation dosage, proximity of the treated site to the eye, concomitant chemotherapy and preexisting vascular disorders. We present three patients of radiation retinopathy, one of who was a diabetes and two were positive for the history of concomitant chemotherpy. All the patients developed asymmetrical retinal change after the external cephalic radiation of over 3500 cGy within eleven to twenty-one months. Fluorescein angiographic findings confirmed the typical ischemic features of radiation retinopathy. As these cases show, physicians need to be aware of this vision-threatening complication following cephalic radiation, especially in the high-risk groups.