Pigmented paravenous chorioretinal atrophy.

Six patients (three men and three women, ranging in age from 19 to 65 years) with pigmented paravenous chorioretinal atrophy, a rare disorder of unknown origin, were studied for three- to 21-year periods. The diagnosis was made on the basis of the distinctive fundus appearance of bilateral, symmetrical bone corpuscular pigment accumulation exclusively along the distribution of the retinal veins. Although the fundus abnormalities can be mild or severe, retinal function tests indicated that this is a geographic and not a generalized disorder. Central visual acuities were normal. Follow-up studies showed no evidence of ophthalmoscopic or functional deterioration in five of the patients. In the sixth (Patient 6, the most severely affected), there was a mild progression of the fundus abnormality during the 21-year follow-up period.