title: Visual loss associated with choroidal nevi.
abstract: Twenty-two of 206 patients (11%) with choroidal lesions diagnosed clinically as nevi of the posterior fundus had decreased visual acuity attributable to the lesion. The decreased visual acuity was secondary to serous foveal detachment (50%), presumed photoreceptor degeneration without serous detachment (42%), and subretinal choroidal neovascularization overlying the nevus (8%). Visual loss associated with a small melanotic choroidal tumor does not necessarily imply that the tumor is a choroidal malignant melanoma as 88% of the small melanotic choroidal tumors causing visual impairment did not grow during an average follow-up period of 25 months, and the great majority of these tumors were probably true spindle cell nevi. However, three tumors (12%), initially categorized as "suspicious nevi," enlarged during follow-up and were recategorized as malignant melanomas.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000150:complications; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000150:complications*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000150:complications; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000150:complications; D012171:Retinal Vessels; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000150:complications*