

Lack of basement membrane over the surface of lattice lesions and replacement with glial cells.Tight vitreoretinal adhesion at the margins of the lesionĮlectron microscopic studies of lattice lesions demonstrated presence of the following features :.Vitreous liquefaction overlying the thinned retina.

Postmortem histologic studies of lattice lesions have exhibited three invariable findings : The etiology of lattice degeneration is unknown, though theories include developmental anomalies of the internal limiting membrane, embryologic vascular anastomosis, localized retinal ischemia, or the contention that it is a primary vitreopathy leading to the formation of abnormal vitreous traction. Wagner Syndrome may also present with lattice degeneration. This feature is not believed to be congenital, but rather, develops during childhood and progresses throughout life. Hereditary Vitreopathies: Stickler Syndromemay present with unique radial perivascular lattice-like degeneration.Nonetheless, lattice degeneration is frequently cited as a risk factor for development of RRD given its strong association with this entity. In one study, three out of 423 eyes (0.7%) with lattice degeneration developed clinical retinal detachments and sixteen (3.7%) developed subclinical retinal detachments. However, and importantly, the reverse is quite different: few eyes with lattice degeneration actually develop retinal detachments. Retinal Detachment: Approximately 20 to 30% of patients with a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) have lattice degeneration.Myopia: The prevalence of lattice degeneration is greater in myopic eyes (33% in one study) compared to the general population (around 6-10%), which might at least partially explain the increased risk of retinal detachment in myopes.However, several classic associations exist: Lattice degeneration is most commonly found incidentally on routine ophthalmic examination. Lattice degeneration is a common condition that can be found in 6-8% of the general population though past histologic studies on autopsy suggest a prevalence as high as 10.7% Risk Factors The condition is associated with atrophic retinal holes, retinal tears, and retinal detachments. Lattice degeneration is a common peripheral retinal degeneration that is characterized by localized retinal thinning, overlying vitreous liquefaction, and marginal vitreoretinal adhesion.
