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Preferred Retinal Locus in Juvenile Macular Dystrophy.
Murat Erbezci1, Zühal Özen Tunay2, Taylan Öztürk3
1Private Practice, İzmir, Türkiye.
Turkish Journal of Ophthalmology
|October 27, 2025
Summary
Juvenile macular dystrophy (JMD) patients show preferred retinal locus (PRL) locations shifting with age, impacting visual acuity. Understanding these PRL changes is key for vision rehabilitation.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
Background:
- Juvenile macular dystrophy (JMD) is a group of inherited retinal diseases causing progressive central vision loss.
- The preferred retinal locus (PRL) is the retinal area used for fixation in the presence of a central scotoma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the location of foveal lesions and PRLs in JMD patients.
- To determine the impact of PRL location and foveal lesions on visual acuity in JMD.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 14 JMD patients (28 eyes) with bilateral central vision loss.
- Evaluation of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), macular lesion characteristics, and PRL location/stability using scanning laser ophthalmoscope/optical coherence tomography.
Main Results:
- PRLs were predominantly superiorly (64.3%) or nasally (35.7%) located.
- PRL location correlated with age: nasal PRLs in younger patients (mean 15.1 years), superior PRLs in older patients (mean 22.4 years).
- Worse visual acuity was associated with larger lesion size and increased PRL-fovea distance, which was longer in younger patients.
Conclusions:
- PRL locations in JMD patients are typically superior or nasal and vary with age.
- Younger JMD patients have more peripheral PRLs and poorer visual acuity, suggesting age-related cortical adaptation.
- Characterizing PRLs in JMD is vital for developing targeted low-vision rehabilitation strategies.
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