title: Visual prognosis of Coats' disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our purpose was to determine the visual prognosis of retinal telangiectasia (Coats' disease).
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective review of 35 patients with Coats' disease seen at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada between 1987 and 1996. Ten patients were excluded because of incomplete records. Treatment modalities consisted of no treatment, cryotherapy with and without 532 nm laser through the indirect ophthalmoscope, and enucleation. Visual outcome was determined where possible.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median follow-up was 4.5 years. Deterioration in visual acuity was associated with the presence of greater than 5 clock hours of involved retina and retinal detachment at diagnosis. Final visual acuity did not correlate with age of onset of disease. No eye treated with cryotherapy progressed to retinal detachment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aggressive treatment of Coats' disease with cryotherapy with or without 532 nm laser, before retinal detachment, is likely to stabilize vision and decrease the risk of future total retinal detachment.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Budning
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heon
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Gallie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017679:Cryotherapy; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000517:prevention & control; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology; D013684:Telangiectasis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology