An ophthalmologist in Texas, came across a rare genetic mutation while attending to a 44-year-old man, the condition known as pigment dispersion syndrome is a very rare genetic condition that occurs when pigment granules that regularly stick to the back of the iris spread into the clear, watery fluid at the front of the eye, causing it to take on the flamboyant appearance ofphoto above.
According to the doctor, he had no specific complaints, only reported a family history of glaucoma, which is a group of vision compromising conditions that lead to damage to the optic nerve, which transmits light signals to the brain.
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Another doctor had already determined that the man had high eye pressure, which is the main cause of glaucoma. The man had several medications prescribed to try to lower his intraocular pressure, which he was taking. When Texas doctors checked his eye pressure, it was only slightly above the normal range.
But lighting up both eyes, the ophthalmologist saw a ring of fire around his irises - the coloured muscle structure that controls the diameter of the pupil, controlling the amount of light reaching the retina. The eerie glow indicated that the pigment in his iris had loosened, allowing light to pass through. It was at this point that the doctor diagnosed him with the rare genetic condition calledpigment dispersion syndrome.
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Pigment dispersion syndrome is relatively uncommon, but when it does occur, it usually appears between the ages of 20 and 40. It affects men and women equally, and is more frequent in individuals with myopia.
SOURCE / New England Journal of Medicine
