Central Angiospastic Retinopathy

Abstract

The literature dealing with central angiospastic retinopathy is reviewed. There was a high incidence of this condition and of resulting degenerative macular lesions among naval and marine personnel during World War II. Four case histories of young service men suffering from macular retinopathy are presented as psychosomatic studies. In all cases, intense anxiety played an important role at the time the ocular symptoms developed. There is a discussion of the way in which anxiety or fear acts on physiologic processes to produce this form of ocular disturbance. The importance of the evaluation and handling of emotional factors during treatment is stressed.