Purtschers retinopathy is a disease where part of the eye (retina) is damaged. Usually associated with severe head injuries, it may also occur with other types of trauma, such as long bone fractures, or with several non-traumatic systemic diseases. However, the exact cause of the disease is not well understood. There are no treatments specific for Purtschers retinopathy, and the prognosis varies. The disease can threaten vision, sometimes causing temporary or permanent blindness. It is named for the Austrian ophthalmologist, Othmar Purtscher (1852–1927), who detected it in 1910 and described it fully in 1912. Presentation
Associated diseases
Severe head, chest, or long bone trauma
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Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP)

Pathophysiology
Purtschers retinopathy likely involves complex pathophysiology, with several contributing factors, including complement-mediated aggregates, fat, air, fibrin clots and platelet clumps. The diseases leads to the formation of cotton wool spots in the retina, a finding observed in several other diseases, and atrophy of the optic nerve. Diagnosis
Where trauma is involved, only a funduscopic examination of the back of the eye (retina) is necessary to make the diagnosis. Fluoroscein angiography may show a decrease in blood flow to the areas of whiteness in the retina. Treatment
It may be treated with triamcinolone in some cases. However, in general, there are no treatments for Purtschers retinopathy. If it is caused by a systemic disease or emboli, then those conditions should be treated. Prognosis
Purtschers retinopathy can lead to loss of vision, and recovery of vision may occur very little.
Such prescribed ointments include neosporin, fusidic acid, chloramphenicol and mupirocin. More severe cases of impetigo however (especially bullous impetigo) will likely require oral agents with better systemic bioavailability, such as cephalexin. Cases that do not resolve with initial antibiotic therapy or require hospitalization may also be indicative an MRSA infection, which would require consultation with a local microbiologist. Antibiotic treatment typically last 7–10 days, and although highly effective some cases of methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) may require longer therapy depending on the severity of infection and how much it has spread. See also
Impetigo contagiosa
Skin lesion
List of conditions caused by problems with junctional proteins

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