Hypertrophy with hyperpigmentation of the retinal pigment epithelium
J. J. Purcell Jr and J. A. Shields
Fifty-two patients (one bilateral) exhibiting hypertrophy with
hyperpigmentation of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are described.
Visual acuity was not affected, and the patients were asymptomatic. There
was no correlation with systemic diseases, family history of eye disease,
associated fundus lesions, anterior segment abnormalities, or intraocular
pressure. Field defects were rarely demonstrated using standard clinical
techniques. There were three characteristic locations and four
characteristic pigmentary variations that occurred alone or in any
combination. The lesions were gray, black, or brown. The clinical
characteristics and histopathology suggest that hypertrophy with
hyperpigmentation of the RPE and congenital grouped pigmentation are
different expressions of a similar condition, with the former being focal
and the latter multifocal.
