What is a cotton-wool spot?
A cotton-wool spot is the name given to a small white spot in the retina that resembles cotton wool (raw cotton). The retina in your eye is like the film inside a camera. The retina “takes the picture” of objects you look at and sends the message to the brain. The retina is a living tissue, which requires blood supplied by tiny vessels called arteries. If the blood supply to the retina becomes impaired, a small white spot may develop in the inner retina resembling cotton or wool. This cotton-wool spot is a sign of stressed retina.
What causes a cotton-wool spot?
There are a wide variety of causes of cotton-wool spots. Most commonly, they occur along with other changes in the retina from diabetes, high blood pressure, or retinal blood vessel blockage. However, they may occur due to a great number of other problems including heart diseases, vascular diseases, blood diseases, inflammations, trauma, medications, and infections. Sometimes, no underlying condition can be identified.
What are the symptoms of a cotton-wool spot?
Often cotton-wools spots cause no symptoms at all. Sometimes they cause a blind spot or dark arc in the vision just off to the side of central vision. The symptoms come on suddenly and painlessly. The loss of vision may be temporary or permanent. Regardless, it usually fades over weeks to months.
What testing is needed?
Testing depends on the finding on the eye examination. Sometimes the underlying problem that caused the cotton-wools spots can be determined by the eye exam. If not, blood tests and scans may be ordered by the ophthalmologist.
What treatment is available?
Although there is no specific treatment for cotton-wool spots, treatment is directed toward any underlying conditions that caused the cotton-wool spots to appear. The spots themselves fade away over several months’ time.
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