Retina Specialist Aaron Parnes,
M.D. of Eyecare Medical Group in Portland, Maine asked “What could having a
colonoscopy for colon cancer risk possibly have to do with your eyes?” As it
turns out-plenty! The retinal pigmented epithelium
(RPE) is a layer of the retina which can sometimes be thicker than normal at
birth-or “hypertrophic”. “During eye exams when we find these areas of retinal pigmented
epithelial hypertrophy typically they do not cause any vision problems or
symptoms and are pretty unremarkable,” commented Dr. Parnes.
Congenital
Retinal Pigment Epithelial Hypertrophy (CHRPE) is usually found before patients
reach 30 years of age and although they may enlarge with time they usually do
not lead to malignancies like colon cancer. However, there is an association
between people with Gardner's Syndrome-Familial Colonic Polyposes-or polyps of
the colon, and CHRPE. If your eye doctor has told you that you have Congenital
Retinal Pigment Epithelial Hypertrophy-perhaps called “Bear Tracks” or “Pigment
Spots” or “Retina Freckles”, it is important to carefully explore and review
your family history reasonable with a Gastroenterologist who will likely
schedule you for a colonoscopy. CHRPE has a “statistically significant”
correlation with hereditary colon polyps known as Familial Adenomatous
Polyposis, or FAP. It may be that the freckles are caused by the same genetic
mutation that produces the polyps. A study published in 2010 in the American
Journal of Gastroenterology concluded that patients with such freckles
should be referred for colonoscopies.
Thus-when we are over 50 years of
age, the reasons to have yearly eye exams includes not only detecting
cataracts, glaucoma, age related macular degeneration (AMD) and other eye
diseases, but regular eye examinations may very well be a reminder to be
screened via colonoscopy to help detect early risks and potential indicators of
colon cancer.
If you are someone you know would
like to find out more about Congenital Retinal
Pigment Epithelial Hypertrophy, Bear Tracks, Pigment Spots or Retina Freckles
please call Eyecare Medical Group, 53 Sewall Street, Portland
Maine at 888-374-2020, visiting Eyecare
Medical Group or
facebook.com/eyecaremedicalgroup to schedule an appointment.