Overview
Torpedo maculopathy is unilateral, hypo-pigmented lesion of the RPE that is round in shape with a tip that points towards the central macula (“torpedo” shaped). The lesions are located temporal to the fovea.
These lesions are congenital and benign. While they are generally considered non-progressive, slow enlargement may occur over many years.
Patients are asymptomatic and vision is not typically threatened by these lesions. In rare cases however, choroidal neovascularisation may be associated.
There are two type of torpedo maculopathy – the first which show attenuation of the outer retina only, and the second (type 2) which shows this attenuation of the retinal layers plus outer retinal cavitation with a detachment of the neurosensory retina.
Case Examples
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Case 1
A 47 year old Caucasian female with best corrected visual acuity of 6/6- (20/20-) in the left eye. Testing with an Amsler grid shows infero-nasal distortion.
Differential Diagnosis
References
Shirley, K., O’Neill, M., Gamble, R. et al. (2018) Torpedo maculopathy: disease spectrum and associated choroidal neovascularisation in a paediatric population. Eye 32, 1315–1320