Photopsias: A Key to Diagnosis.

PURPOSE

To assess the character and cause of photopsias in vitreoretinal patients.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 169 consecutive patients (217 eyes) with vitreoretinal disease presenting with a history of photopsias.

METHODS

A total of 217 eyes with photopsias in 169 patients were evaluated. Photopsia assessment included (1) laterality (unilateral, bilateral but not simultaneous, bilateral, and simultaneous); (2) morphology (flash, zig-zag, strobe, scintillating scotoma, twinkling, other); (3) color (white, silver, yellow, combination, other); (4) location (temporal, central, other); (5) duration (quick, prolonged, constant, other); (6) frequency; (7) diurnal appearance (day, night, both); (8) stimuli (turning head or eyes, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, other); and (9) associated systemic or ocular signs and symptoms (headache, numbness, weakness, vertigo, syncope, diplopia, hypotension, floaters, other).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Clinical photopsia features correlated with the causes of photopsias.

RESULTS

Thirty-two photopsia causes were identified. The top 16 included posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in 39.7% of eyes; retinal tear in 8.9% of eyes; neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 7.9% of eyes; rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in 7.5% of eyes; classic and ophthalmic migraine in 6.5% of eyes; hypoglycemia in 2.8% of eyes; vertebrobasilar insufficiency in 2.8% of eyes; non-AMD choroidal neovascularization in 2.3% of eyes; retinitis pigmentosa in 1.9% of eyes; severe cough in 1.9% of eyes; central serous chorioretinopathy in 1.4% of eyes; intraocular lens reflections in 0.9% of eyes; blue field entoptic phenomenon in 0.9% of eyes; Charles Bonnet syndrome in 0.9% of eyes; digitalis in 0.9% of eyes; and metastatic adenocarcinoma to the brain in 0.9% of eyes. The photopsias associated with PVD are typically quick (96%), with lightning/flash morphology (96%), white (87%), temporally located (86%), associated with new-onset floaters (85%), preferentially seen in dark (90%) rather than lighted environments (29%), and often initiated by head/eye movements (60%). Retinal detachment had a similar profile, but with more nontemporal photopsias (40%) (P = 0.01). The photopsias from neovascular AMD are more centrally located (83%), quick and repetitive (79%), seen in light (73%) and dark (63%) environments, have no inciting stimuli (84%), and are more likely to be nonwhite (40%).

CONCLUSIONS

A pointed history for photopsias can reveal a cause that may not initially seem apparent. Thus, the history can play a key role in management decisions.