Purpose:
To stratify the literature on angioid streaks, from pathophysiology to treatment.
Methods:
Review of the current literature.
Results:
Angioid streaks are crack-like dehiscences of Bruch membrane, which may coexist with systemic diseases, such as pseudoxanthoma elasticum, Paget disease, Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, hemoglobinopathies, or other diseases of the collagen. Various diagnostic methods, including infrared and red-free retinography, autofluorescence, optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, and indocyanine green angiography, are useful to diagnose, evaluate, and monitor angioid streaks. Choroidal neovascularization consists of a major complication of angioid streaks leading to visual impairment. Therefore, observation could not be a treatment option. Photodynamic treatment or anti–vascular endothelial growth factor agents have been used for the treatment of angioid streaks, offering promising but short-term results. Currently, the available treatment may limit the disease, but not permanently inactivate it.
Conclusion:
This review discusses the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of angioid streaks, presenting the existing literature on this topic.
We identified an increase of LMH diameter related to the presence of ERM and a decrease of the foveal thickness within a period of observation which ranged from 24 to 54 months (mean 37.1 months).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.