Pars plana cysts are occasionally seen when the extreme periphery of the fundus is examined with the Schepens technique1,2 of indirect ophthalmoscopy and scleral pressure.
The cysts in this report were incidental findings in presumably normal eye bank eyes, examined before fixation by indirect ophthalmoscopy and scleral pressure and after fixation by histological study of the observed abnormalities.3 The cysts were found in 1 of the 11 eyes studied, occupying the entire upper temporal quadrant (Fig. 1). The same eye had two round holes with opercula.
The cysts are oval and rather flat in shape. The lateral boundaries of each cyst are the individual ora bays. Posteriorly, they are continuous with the area of retinal cystic degeneration behind the ora. Anteriorly, they extend variably over about onehalf of the pars plana toward the ciliary processes. The inner cyst walls are smooth and transparent (Figs. 2 and 3).
Histopathology