Glial tumors of the retina. The 2009 King Khaled Memorial Lecture

Retinal glial tumors and pseudotumors can be classified into astrocytic hamartoma, acquired retinal astrocytoma, massive gliosis, and focal nodular gliosis. Each has different clinical manifestations. Astrocytic hamartoma is usually seen patients who have some manifestations of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). It can occur as a noncalcified or calcified variety, and often a combination of the two, and has fairly typical features with fluorescein angiography, ultrasonography, and optical coherence tomography. Although it is generally a stationary lesion, an aggressive variant seen in very young children with TSC can lead to exudative retinopathy, retinal detachment, and neovascular glaucoma. Acquired astrocytoma general occurs in somewhat older individuals who do not have TSC. Like the aggressive form of astrocytic hamartoma it can lead to exudative retinopathy and exudative retinal detachment. Pseudoneoplastic diffuse retinal gliosis can occur as massive glial proliferation in eyes with prior trauma, Coats disease, retinal angiomatosis and other conditions and often occurs in blind eyes. Pseudoneoplastic focal retinal gliosis is characterized by a very superficial, white, noncalcified lesion in otherwise normal eye in somewhat older individuals. Recognition of these glial lesions is important because they can resemble malignant tumors and have different clinical courses and complications.