Inability to see well at night or in poor light.

Primary or spontaneous detachment of the retina occurs due to underlying ocular disease and often involves the vitreous as well as the retina. The precipitating event is formation of a retinal tear or hole, which permits fluid to accumulate under the sensory layers of the retina and creates an intraretinal cleavage that destroys the neurosensory process of visual reception. Vitreoretinal degeneration and tear formation are painless phenomena, and in most cases, significant vitreoretinal pathology is found only after detachment of the retina starts to cause loss of vision or visual field. Without surgical intervention, retinal detachment will almost inevitably lead to total blindness (summary by McNiel and McPherson, 1971).

Diminished clarity of vision.

Presence of multiple yellowish-white lesions of various size and configuration on the retina not related to vascular lesions.

Any abnormality of the electrical responses of various cell types in the retina as measured by electroretinography.

A pale yellow discoloration of the optic disc (the area of the optic nerve head in the retina). The optic disc normally has a pinkish hue with a central yellowish depression.

An inherited retinal disease subtype in which the rod photoreceptors appear to be more severely affected than the cone photoreceptors. Typical presentation is with nyctalopia (due to rod dysfunction) followed by loss of mid-peripheral field of vision, which gradually extends and leaves many patients with a small central island of vision due to the preservation of macular cones.