Macular Telangiectasia (Mac Tel): Causes, Types & Vision Loss

Macular telangiectasia, commonly called Mac Tel, refers to a congenital, rare eye disease that damages blood vessels of the macula, the central point of vision on the retina. Mac Tel causes serious central vision loss.

Types

• There are several types of macular telangiectasia, according to Wendy Strouse Watt, Doctor of Optometry. Coat̵7;s disease, found in males and usually diagnosed before age 10 affects one eye. Idiopathic juxtafoveolar retinal telangiectasia (JXT) unilateral form affects males only and may not cause any symptoms. Leber̵7;s military aneurysm is a severe form of the disease usually diagnosed in middle age. Type 2 idiopathic macular telangiectasia causes slow vision loss after age 40.

Diagnosis

• Mac Tel can be diagnosed by optical coherence tomography (OCT), which maps the layers of the retina or by angiography, which examines the blood vessels of the retina, according to Archives of Ophthalmology.

Causes

• Macular Telangiectasia is an idiopathic disease, which means there̵7;s no known cause

Symptoms

• Mac Tel causes central vision loss in one or both eyes, according to Watt.

Treatment

• Treatments for Mac Tel include laser treatment or cryotherapy, according to Watt. Triamcinolone, a steroid, or anti VEGF medications such as Avastin, is injected intravitreally, may help some types of Mac Tel. The Mactel Project, run by the National Eye Institute, currently studies other possible treatments.