Hyperpigmented lesions of the retinal pigment epithelium in familial adenomatous polyposis.

Ophthalmic examinations were performed on 56 patients with validated familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) for hyperpigmented defects of the retinal pigment epithelium. Such lesions were seen bilaterally in 29 patients (52%) and unilaterally in 8 patients (14%). Of the 56 patients, 33 had one or more of the extracolonic expressions associated with Gardner syndrome. We found retinal lesions in 8 patients without any of the expressions of Gardner syndrome. No association was found between Gardner syndrome and the retinal lesions when these patients were compared to patients without any stigmata of Gardner syndrome, nor was any significant association found when each of the expressions was compared individually with the presence of the pigmented retinal lesions. The presence or absence of eye findings were seen to cluster within families. There was no association with sex. Fundus lesions are apparently a variable expression of the FAP gene and are not specifically associated with Gardner syndrome.