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This monograph summarizes the results of a clinicopathologic investigation of retinoschisis in which the author studies the pathogenesis and morphological features of this condition and its relationship to clinical disease, particularly retinal detachment. Selected photomicrographs from 315 pairs of eyes that were obtained at autopsy are presented. The outstanding feature of the book is the quality of the illustrations, including excellent gross photographs, light photomicrographs, electron micrographs, and, in particular, numerous beautiful scanning electron micrographs that show in three dimensions the exact morphological features of the tissue changes of the peripheral retina in retinoschisis.
The author proposes theories on the pathogenesis of retinal hole formation in retinoschisis as well as the pathogenesis of retinal detachments. Of clinical importance, he concludes that the large number of schisis detachments found in his material suggest that prophylactic intervention in senile retinoschisis is clinically indicated, which, according to most authorities today, is highly