[The retinopathy of ophthalmoplegia plus (Kearn's syndrome)]

The retinopathy of ophthalmoplegia plus (Kearns syndrome) is characterised by an extreme variability and a relative mildness of the visual disturbances, contrasting with the gravity of the ophthalmoscopic lesions. A study of three new cases, as well as an analysis of the literature, tend to demonstrate that the retinal lesions are mainly localised in the pigment-epithelial cells (mitochondrial anomalies?). This peculiar pathogenesis could explain why the retinopathy in this syndrome differs from classical pigmentary retinopathy.