Lattice degeneration is a common issue where areas of your retina get thinner. It affects up to 10% of people globally. This condition has no symptoms, and up to 99% of people won’t ever have a problem from it. Up to 1% of people may have it worsen and cause other problems like retinal tears or detachments (both of which are treatable).
Lattice degeneration (LD) is a weakening or thinning of your retina. These weakened spots often have a lattice-like pattern on retinal imaging, hence the name. It can affect one or both eyes. In fact, about half the people with LD have it in both eyes.
If your retinal tissue weakens or deteriorates enough, it can lead to retinal diseases or events like tears or detachments.
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Lattice degeneration doesn’t cause symptoms. The only way to know you have it is if an eye care specialist finds evidence on retinal imaging tests. While it doesn’t cause symptoms, experts still classify lattice degeneration as a disorder because it’s a disease-related process in your eyes.
Experts aren’t sure why lattice degeneration happens. But research shows a couple of factors that make it more likely to happen. People who are nearsighted have a higher risk, as do people with a family history of certain genetic disorders like connective tissue diseases or retinal detachments. But it can also happen in people who aren’t nearsighted or who have no family history.
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The complications of lattice degeneration are uncommon but serious. When lattice degeneration is more severe, it can cause retinal tears or detachments.
Retinal tears and detachments are medical emergencies. While a tear isn’t as serious, it can worsen and turn into a detachment. If you have any symptoms of a tear or detachment, you should go to the nearest hospital emergency room or medical facility.
A healthcare provider can diagnose lattice degeneration using certain imaging tests or specific eye exam methods. Many of the methods are part of a standard eye exam, including:
These are simple tests. Some involve dilating your pupils so your provider can see into your eye more easily.
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Lattice degeneration usually doesn’t need treatment. The only times it does are when you’re at a much higher risk of retinal tears or detachments. In those cases, treatment aims to prevent lattice degeneration from turning into a tear or detachment.
Factors that can indicate a higher risk include:
The main procedure to treat lattice degeneration and prevent retinal complications is laser retinopexy. It uses a laser beam to create tiny scarring patterns on your retina. Those scar patterns reinforce the weakened tissue.
Laser retinopexy may increase the chances of a wrinkle forming in your retinal tissue. That’s called macular pucker.
Fortunately, macular pucker isn’t common. But when it does happen, you may need surgery to treat it. Your eye care specialist can tell you more about any other possible issues you might experience or should watch for.
The recovery time is usually a couple of days. Your provider may tell you to avoid strenuous activity or exercise, and they may tell you to limit other activities until your eye fully heals. This can vary, so your provider is the best source of information that applies to your situation.
Lattice degeneration isn’t preventable, but a comprehensive eye exam can help your eye care specialist identify it. You should see an eye care specialist every one to two years. You may need to see them more frequently if you have certain conditions, risk factors or circumstances that can affect your eyes. Some examples of reasons to see an eye specialist more frequently include:
Lattice degeneration causes retinal tissue thinning that’s permanent. For most people, the thinning doesn’t get worse. Some people may need treatment to stabilize thinned areas. When thinning leads to a tear or detachment, treatment can often repair those issues.
The outlook for lattice degeneration is excellent overall. That’s because almost everyone with it will never have a problem from it. When it does cause issues, the outlook is still usually good because retinal tears or detachments are treatable, and the odds of success for a repair are very high.
People with a higher risk of a retinal tear or detachment may need to see an eye care specialist for routine follow-up and monitoring. Usually, an eye exam every year or two is enough for this. Your eye care specialist can tell you if a more frequent follow-up schedule is a good idea for you.
While lattice degeneration doesn’t cause symptoms on its own, it can turn into a retinal tear or detachment. These are both medical emergencies, and delaying care for them can lead to permanent vision loss. If you have the symptoms of them, you should get medical attention immediately.
The symptoms of retinal tears or detachments are:
There are a few questions you may want to ask your eye specialist:
Lattice degeneration isn’t serious in most cases. Up to 1% of cases lead to a serious problem like a retinal tear or detachment.
The only way to repair lattice degeneration is with treatments that intentionally scar small sections of the retina. That scarring is like how a welder can heat a section of metal to bond it to another layer of metal. Similarly, laser retinopexy can bond retinal tissue together so it doesn’t break apart or lift away from the underlying eye tissue.
No, lattice degeneration doesn’t heal on its own, and there’s no way to heal it without medical procedures on the retinal tissue itself.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Lattice degeneration is a common issue that can affect the retinas of your eyes. While it might sound scary, it’s a harmless condition for most people. If you have lattice degeneration, talk to your eye care specialist. They can help you understand if this condition means you might have an issue in the future. They can also tell you how to recognize signs of a problem and monitor your eye for changes. They can help ease your worries so you can focus on what matters most to you.
Last reviewed on 07/17/2024.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy