Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy

Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy
Diagram of the human eye. The retina is the layer of tissue at the back of the eye that receives light and converts it into a signal which travels along the optic nerve to be processed into visual perception by the brain.
SpecialtyOphthalmology 

Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR, pronounced as fever) is a genetic disorder affecting the growth and development of blood vessels in the retina of the eye. This disease can lead to visual impairment and sometimes complete blindness in one or both eyes. FEVR is characterized by incomplete vascularization of the peripheral retina. This can lead to the growth of new blood vessels which are prone to leakage and hemorrhage and can cause retinal folds, tears, and detachments. Treatment involves laser photocoagulation of the avascular portions of the retina to reduce new blood vessel growth and risk of complications including leakage of retinal blood vessels and retinal detachments.

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