Flecked retina disorders.

This survey describes a number of fundus conditions characterized by flecks in the retina. The term "flecked retina" was introduced by Krill and Klien to describe fundus conditions characterized by multiple yellowish-white lesions of various size and configuration, without vascular or optic nerve abnormalities. Originally this group consisted of four diseases: fundus albipunctatus, fundus flavimaculatus, familial drusen and fleck retina of Kandori. However, far more diseases correspond to the rather vague definition, including primary hereditary ocular diseases such as retinitis punctata albescens or Bietti's crystalline dystrophy, neuro-ophthalmologic syndromes such as Kjellin's syndrome, secundary retinal flecks due to metabolic disorders such as Alport's syndrome, cystinosis, oxalosis or membrano-proliferative glomerulonephritis, iatrogenic retinopathy due to Tamoxifen or Canthaxanthin and carential diseases such as vitamin A deficiency. The precise diagnosis is not only based on the close observation of the fundus, but demands often extensive psychophysical examination of the patient and sometimes of his family.