Angioid Streaks

Excerpt

Angioid streaks are breaks in the degenerated and mineralized Bruch membrane, first described by Doyne RW in 1889. Angioid streaks have also been called Knapp streaks or Knapp striae in honor of the famous German-American ophthalmologist Jacob Hermann Knapp (1832–1911), who used the term "angioid streak" for the first time. These typically form around the optic disc and radiate from the optic disc and are usually linear and hence named angioid or like blood vessels. Angioid streaks may be idiopathic or associated with pseudoxanthoma elasticum, Sickle cell disease, acromegaly, Paget disease of the bone, and other diseases. The angioid streak may be associated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV), causing metamorphosis and/or visual decline. Patients with angioid streaks are at risk for subretinal bleeding after minor trauma.