Best's vitelliform macular dystrophy.

We examined and evaluated the ophthalmological findings of 47 patients with Best's Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy (BVMD) and 5 cases suffering from related conditions to this macular disorder. Our sample re-confirm that BVMD is a progressive disease which may have several appearances in the course of its evolution. The heredity of this disorder is autosomal dominant with reduced penetrance and variable expressivity. Some contradictions exist regarding the nature of the primary defect in this entity. Electrooculographic and angiographic investigations lend support to the belief that the basic pathological changes are located in the retinal pigment epithelium. However, recent histopathological findings and flicker electroretinographic results indicate the possibility that the photoreceptor cells are equally involved, even before the pigment epithelium. In view of the existing disagreements about the pathogenesis of this disorder, certain considerations were advanced which suggest that the basic pathologic process in this entity produces a disorganisation in the structural and functional interdependance of both the photoreceptor cells and pigment epithelium.