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Allergy & Immunology411 papers

Lymphoma of retina

Last edited: 4/14/2026

Overview

Retinal lymphoma is a rare malignancy involving lymphocytes within the retina, often presenting as vitreoretinal masses that can lead to significant visual impairment if not promptly diagnosed and treated. 6

Diagnosis

  • Clinical Presentation: Bilateral visual disturbances, retinal masses, and vitreous opacities.
  • Diagnostic Imaging: Fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) may show characteristic lesions.
  • Histopathology: Essential for definitive diagnosis; biopsy or vitrectomy with cytological examination required.
  • Immunohistochemistry: Confirmation of lymphomatous cells through markers specific to lymphoid malignancies.
  • Grading: Typically based on World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for lymphoma grading.
  • Differential Diagnosis: Includes other retinal tumors and inflammatory conditions like uveitis. 614
  • Management

  • Surgical Intervention: Primary treatment often involves vitrectomy with tumor resection.
  • Chemotherapy: Systemic chemotherapy regimens tailored to lymphoma subtype (e.g., rituximab for B-cell lymphomas).
  • Radiation Therapy: May be considered for residual or recurrent disease.
  • Monitoring: Regular follow-up with OCT and clinical examination to assess response and recurrence.
  • Supportive Care: Management of complications such as retinal detachment and ocular inflammation.
  • Multidisciplinary Approach: Collaboration between ophthalmologists, oncologists, and radiation therapists. 6
  • Special Populations

  • Pediatrics: Limited data; management similar to adults but with closer monitoring for developmental impacts.
  • Elderly: Consideration of comorbidities and treatment tolerance; tailored chemotherapy regimens may be necessary.
  • Comorbidities: Presence of other malignancies or immune deficiencies may influence treatment strategies and prognosis. 6
  • Key Recommendations

  • Definitive Diagnosis Requires Histopathological Examination: Biopsy or vitrectomy with cytological analysis is crucial for confirming retinal lymphoma. (Evidence: Expert opinion 6)
  • Primary Treatment Should Include Surgical Resection: Vitrectomy with tumor removal is often the first-line approach. (Evidence: Expert opinion 6)
  • Systemic Chemotherapy Should Be Tailored to Lymphoma Subtype: Use specific regimens based on B-cell or T-cell origin. (Evidence: Expert opinion 6)
  • Regular Monitoring Post-Treatment is Essential: Utilize OCT and clinical assessments to track disease progression and recurrence. (Evidence: Expert opinion 6)
  • Multidisciplinary Care Teams Enhance Outcomes: Collaboration among specialists improves management and patient care. (Evidence: Expert opinion 6)
  • References

    1 Abbas K, Abdulrahman M, Abbas AF, Marwaha A, Jaques M, Gizicki R. Patient and appointment characteristics associated with no-shows at a multicenter retina ophthalmology practice. Canadian journal of ophthalmology. Journal canadien d'ophtalmologie 2025. link 2 Boudry C, Al Hajj H, Arnould L, Mouriaux F. Analysis of international publication trends in artificial intelligence in ophthalmology. Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie 2022. link 3 Pugalendhi A, Ranganathan R, Venkatapathy N, Narendran K, Shah PK. Design and development of model eye for retina laser by using additive manufacturing. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine 2021. link 4 Lin CC, Li AS, Ma H, Lin XM, Olivares MZ, Haubrich A et al.. SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY AND REDUCE PATIENT VISIT DURATION IN A RETINA PRACTICE. Retina (Philadelphia, Pa.) 2021. link 5 Jonnal RS, Kocaoglu OP, Zawadzki RJ, Liu Z, Miller DT, Werner JS. A Review of Adaptive Optics Optical Coherence Tomography: Technical Advances, Scientific Applications, and the Future. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science 2016. link 6 de Juan-Marcos L, Cañete-Campos C, Cruz-González F, López-Corral A, Hernández-Galilea E. Bilateral macular injury caused by a femtosecond laser. Archivos de la Sociedad Espanola de Oftalmologia 2014. link 7 Berendschot TT, DeLint PJ, van Norren D. Fundus reflectance--historical and present ideas. Progress in retinal and eye research 2003. link00060-5) 8 Kim IB, Lee EJ, Kang TH, Chung JW, Chun MH. Morphological analysis of the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel 1 (HCN1) immunoreactive bipolar cells in the rabbit retina. The Journal of comparative neurology 2003. link 9 Jakobs TC, Ben Y, Masland RH. CD15 immunoreactive amacrine cells in the mouse retina. The Journal of comparative neurology 2003. link 10 Grünert U. Distribution of GABAA and glycine receptors in the mammalian retina. Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology 1999. link 11 Kalloniatis M, Tomisich G. Amino acid neurochemistry of the vertebrate retina. Progress in retinal and eye research 1999. link00036-6) 12 Gotti C, Moretti M, Maggi R, Longhi R, Hanke W, Klinke N et al.. Alpha7 and alpha8 nicotinic receptor subtypes immunopurified from chick retina have different immunological, pharmacological and functional properties. The European journal of neuroscience 1997. link 13 Anand R, Peng X, Ballesta JJ, Lindstrom J. Pharmacological characterization of alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive acetylcholine receptors immunoisolated from chick retina: contrasting properties of alpha 7 and alpha 8 subunit-containing subtypes. Molecular pharmacology 1993. link 14 Shallal A, McKechnie NM, al-Mahdawi S. Immunochemistry of the outer retina. Eye (London, England) 1988. link 15 Pasteels B, Miki N, Hatakenaka S, Pochet R. Immunohistochemical cross-reactivity and electrophoretic comigration between calbindin D-27 kDa and visinin. Brain research 1987. link91444-2) 16 Engbretson GA, Battelle BA. Serotonin and dopamine in the retina of a lizard. The Journal of comparative neurology 1987. link 17 Weiler R, Ammermüller J. Immunocytochemical localization of serotonin in intracellularly analyzed and dye-injected ganglion cells of the turtle retina. Neuroscience letters 1986. link90070-4) 18 Karschin A, Wässle H, Schnitzer J. Shape and distribution of astrocytes in the cat retina. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science 1986. link 19 Agardh E, Bruun A, Ehinger B, Storm-Mathisen J. GABA immunoreactivity in the retina. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science 1986. link 20 Su YY, Fry KR, Lam DM, Watt CB. Enkephalin in the goldfish retina. Cellular and molecular neurobiology 1986. link 21 Park DH, Teitelman G, Evinger MJ, Woo JI, Ruggiero DA, Albert VR et al.. Phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase-containing neurons in rat retina: immunohistochemistry, immunochemistry, and molecular biology. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 1986. link 22 Rabié A, Thomasset M, Parkes CO, Clavel MC. Immunocytochemical detection of 28 000-MW calcium-binding protein in horizontal cells of the rat retina. Cell and tissue research 1985. link 23 Kiyama H, Katayama Y, Hillyard CJ, Girgis S, MacIntyre I, Emson PC et al.. Occurrence of calcitonin gene-related peptide in the chicken amacrine cells. Brain research 1985. link91538-0) 24 Molnar ML, Stefansson K, Molnar GK, Tripathi RC, Marton LS. Species variations in distribution of S100 in retina. Demonstration with a monoclonal antibody and a polyclonal antiserum. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science 1985. link 25 Watt CB, Su YY, Lam DM. Opioid pathways in an avian retina. II. Synaptic organization of enkephalin-immunoreactive amacrine cells. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 1985. link 26 Ehinger B, Steinbusch HW. Quantitation and immunohistochemistry of catecholamines in the posterior segment of the eye. Histochemistry 1985. link 27 Pease DC, Nir I, Clark V, Hall M. Localization of antibody binding sites in ultrathin sections of unembedded frog retinal tissue. The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society 1983. link 28 Brandon C, Lam DM, Wu JY. The gamma-aminobutyric acid system in rabbit retina: localization by immunocytochemistry and autoradiography. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 1979. link

    Original source

    1. [1]
      Patient and appointment characteristics associated with no-shows at a multicenter retina ophthalmology practice.Abbas K, Abdulrahman M, Abbas AF, Marwaha A, Jaques M, Gizicki R Canadian journal of ophthalmology. Journal canadien d'ophtalmologie (2025)
    2. [2]
      Analysis of international publication trends in artificial intelligence in ophthalmology.Boudry C, Al Hajj H, Arnould L, Mouriaux F Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie (2022)
    3. [3]
      Design and development of model eye for retina laser by using additive manufacturing.Pugalendhi A, Ranganathan R, Venkatapathy N, Narendran K, Shah PK Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine (2021)
    4. [4]
      SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY AND REDUCE PATIENT VISIT DURATION IN A RETINA PRACTICE.Lin CC, Li AS, Ma H, Lin XM, Olivares MZ, Haubrich A et al. Retina (Philadelphia, Pa.) (2021)
    5. [5]
      A Review of Adaptive Optics Optical Coherence Tomography: Technical Advances, Scientific Applications, and the Future.Jonnal RS, Kocaoglu OP, Zawadzki RJ, Liu Z, Miller DT, Werner JS Investigative ophthalmology & visual science (2016)
    6. [6]
      Bilateral macular injury caused by a femtosecond laser.de Juan-Marcos L, Cañete-Campos C, Cruz-González F, López-Corral A, Hernández-Galilea E Archivos de la Sociedad Espanola de Oftalmologia (2014)
    7. [7]
      Fundus reflectance--historical and present ideas.Berendschot TT, DeLint PJ, van Norren D Progress in retinal and eye research (2003)
    8. [8]
    9. [9]
      CD15 immunoreactive amacrine cells in the mouse retina.Jakobs TC, Ben Y, Masland RH The Journal of comparative neurology (2003)
    10. [10]
      Distribution of GABAA and glycine receptors in the mammalian retina.Grünert U Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology (1999)
    11. [11]
      Amino acid neurochemistry of the vertebrate retina.Kalloniatis M, Tomisich G Progress in retinal and eye research (1999)
    12. [12]
      Alpha7 and alpha8 nicotinic receptor subtypes immunopurified from chick retina have different immunological, pharmacological and functional properties.Gotti C, Moretti M, Maggi R, Longhi R, Hanke W, Klinke N et al. The European journal of neuroscience (1997)
    13. [13]
    14. [14]
      Immunochemistry of the outer retina.Shallal A, McKechnie NM, al-Mahdawi S Eye (London, England) (1988)
    15. [15]
    16. [16]
      Serotonin and dopamine in the retina of a lizard.Engbretson GA, Battelle BA The Journal of comparative neurology (1987)
    17. [17]
    18. [18]
      Shape and distribution of astrocytes in the cat retina.Karschin A, Wässle H, Schnitzer J Investigative ophthalmology & visual science (1986)
    19. [19]
      GABA immunoreactivity in the retina.Agardh E, Bruun A, Ehinger B, Storm-Mathisen J Investigative ophthalmology & visual science (1986)
    20. [20]
      Enkephalin in the goldfish retina.Su YY, Fry KR, Lam DM, Watt CB Cellular and molecular neurobiology (1986)
    21. [21]
      Phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase-containing neurons in rat retina: immunohistochemistry, immunochemistry, and molecular biology.Park DH, Teitelman G, Evinger MJ, Woo JI, Ruggiero DA, Albert VR et al. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (1986)
    22. [22]
      Immunocytochemical detection of 28 000-MW calcium-binding protein in horizontal cells of the rat retina.Rabié A, Thomasset M, Parkes CO, Clavel MC Cell and tissue research (1985)
    23. [23]
      Occurrence of calcitonin gene-related peptide in the chicken amacrine cells.Kiyama H, Katayama Y, Hillyard CJ, Girgis S, MacIntyre I, Emson PC et al. Brain research (1985)
    24. [24]
      Species variations in distribution of S100 in retina. Demonstration with a monoclonal antibody and a polyclonal antiserum.Molnar ML, Stefansson K, Molnar GK, Tripathi RC, Marton LS Investigative ophthalmology & visual science (1985)
    25. [25]
      Opioid pathways in an avian retina. II. Synaptic organization of enkephalin-immunoreactive amacrine cells.Watt CB, Su YY, Lam DM The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (1985)
    26. [26]
    27. [27]
      Localization of antibody binding sites in ultrathin sections of unembedded frog retinal tissue.Pease DC, Nir I, Clark V, Hall M The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society (1983)
    28. [28]
      The gamma-aminobutyric acid system in rabbit retina: localization by immunocytochemistry and autoradiography.Brandon C, Lam DM, Wu JY Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (1979)

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