| Leukocoria | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
A child with leukocoria due to retinoblastoma in the left eye |
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| ICD-9 | 360.44 |
| DiseasesDB | 33379 |
Leukocoria (also leukokoria[1]) is an abnormal white reflection from the retina of the eye. Leukocoria resembles eyeshine, but leukocoria can occur in humans and other animals that lack eyeshine because their retina lacks a tapetum lucidum.
Leukocoria is a medical sign for a number of conditions, including Coats disease, congenital cataracts, corneal scarring, melanoma of the ciliary body,[2] Norrie disease, ocular toxocariasis, persistence of the tunica vasculosa lentis (PFV/PHPV), retinoblastoma, and retrolental fibroplasia.
Because of the potential life threatening nature of retinoblastoma, a cancer, that condition is usually considered in the evaluation of leukocoria.
On photographs taken using a flash, instead of the familiar red-eye effect leukocoria can cause a bright white reflection in an affected eye.[3] Leukocoria may appear also in low indirect light, similar to eyeshine.
Leukocoria can be detected by a routine eye exam (see Ophthalmoscopy). For screening purposes, the red reflex test is used. In this test, when a light is shone briefly through the pupil, an orange red reflection is normal. A white reflection is leukocoria.
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