Eales disease

Idiopathic obliterative vasculitis of retina.  Opthalmologic condition with recurrent episodes of retinal and vitreous hemorrhages in young adults. Also called retinal periphlebitis, retinal perivasculitis, angiopathia reretinae juvenilis. There are white sheaths around retinal veins, perivascular infiltrates and occlusion of retinal vessels. It affects more men, especially aged 20-30. Patients present with obscuring spots, floaters, cobwebs, clouds to diminished acuity and blindness. It begins unilaterally and involves the other eye. Ocular inflammation is seen with thin white lines or heavy exudative sheathing. Flame shaped hemorrhages, iridocyclitis, posterior uveitis, and macular edema occur. Most have good recovery but a few lose vision. The diagnosis is one of exclusion, after other retinal vasculitis conditions are excluded, including CT disease, sarcoid, granulomatous disease, Behcet's s, DM, SCD and MS. Treatment is photocoagulation of vessels. Steroids are controversial.

CNS involvement is rare and controversial. Reports exist of CSF abnormality, seizure, myelopathy, SN hearing loss, brainstem and cerebellar dysfunction and stroke.