maculopathy

Any pathological condition of the macula lutea. SYN: macular retinopathy.

- bull's-eye m. an ocular condition in which edema or degeneration of the sensory retina at the posterior pole of the eye causes alternating areas of light and dark, as in a target; seen in toxic, inflammatory, and hereditary conditions.

- cystoid m. cystic degeneration of the central retina that may occur after cataract extraction, in senile macular degeneration, and in other retinal abnormalities.

- familial pseudoinflammatory m. familial macular degeneration resembling inflammatory changes.

- nicotinic acid m. m. observed in persons taking 3000 mg or more of nicotinic acid daily; normal vision returns after this medication is discontinued.

- solar m. damage to the fovea centralis of the retina and the adjacent choroid due to the thermal action of infrared rays, consequent to sungazing or watching a solar eclipse without sufficient eye protection. SEE ALSO: photoretinopathy. SYN: eclipse blindness, solar blindness.

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mac·u·lop·a·thy .mak-yə-'läp-ə-thē n, pl -thies any pathological condition of the macula lutea of the eye

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n.

any abnormality of the macula of the eye. For example, bull's-eye maculopathy describes the appearance of the macula in some toxic conditions (e.g. chloroquine toxicity) and in some hereditary disorders of the macula. See also epiretinal membrane.

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mac·u·lop·a·thy (mak″u-lopґə-the) [macula + -pathy] any pathological condition of the macula lutea. Cf. retinopathy.