Steroid hormones in central serous chorioretinopathy

Abstract

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a relatively common ‘wet’ maculopathy that is characterised by the accumulation of subretinal fluid between the neurosensory retina and the retinal pigment epithelium. The disease has several striking features, including a high prevalence in males (around 80% of the cases) and exposure to steroid hormones as a risk factor (e.g. via drugs, pregnancy, of Cushing’s disease). The cause of CSC is still a mystery to date, although there is accumulating evidence of the choroid being the primarily affected tissue. This thesis encompasses both fundamental and clinical studies on CSC with the aim to improve our knowledge on the pathophysiology and discover starting points for the development of novel therapies.