Birdshot retinochoroidopathy

In ophthalmology, birdshot retinochoroidopathy is a form of uveitis, an eye inflammation. It is suspected to be an autoimmune disease, and is associated with the haplotype Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A29 in 99% of the cases. Therefore if birdshot retinochoroidopathy is suspected, a person would be tested to determine if they are HLA-A29 positive; only a small percentage of the general population is positive for this gene.

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Possible symptoms include:

• "flashing" lights in eyes
• floaters
• loss of color vision
• night blindness
• small light-colored spots on the retina

The name of the condition comes from small light-colored spots on the retina, scattered in a pattern like birdshot from a shotgun, but these spots are not present in all cases, and might not be present in early stages.