User:Slosea/sandbox

Cotton wool spots article
copy of original introduction paragraph to update:

Cotton wool spots are an abnormal finding on funduscopic exam of the retina of the eye. They appear as fluffy white patches on the retina. They are caused by damage to nerve fibers and are a result of accumulations of axoplasmic material within the nerve fiber layer. There is reduced axonal transport (and hence backlog and accumulation of intracellular products) within the nerves because of the lack of blood flow and oxygen. This then causes the nerve fibers to be damaged by swelling in the surface layer of the retina. A 1981 analysis concluded that "in most instances, cotton-wool spots do not represent the whole area of ischaemic inner retina but merely reflect the obstruction of axoplasmic flow in axons crossing into much larger ischaemic areas". Associated findings include microvascular infarcts and hemorrhages. The appearance of cotton wool spots may decrease over time. Abundant cotton wool spots are seen in Malignant hypertension.

Another condition in which cotton wool spots are found is central retinal vein occlusion as a result of reduced blood flow from retinal arteriole obstruction.

new version of intro paragraph:

- look into signs also seen with CWS

- lack of symptoms / pain

- CWS gets worse in pregnancy

Cotton wool spots are opaque fluffy white patches on the retina of the eye that are considered an abnormal finding during a funduscopic exam (also called ophthalmoscopic exam). Cotton wool spots are typically a sign of another disease state, most common of which is diabetic retinopathy.


 * improvements: updated signs and symptoms section, diagnosis, treatment and management, updating citations
 * added citation for "fluffy white spots": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198419/.
 * updated punctuation on source addition (wrong side of period)
 * updated sentence structure in second paragraph for clarity and to remove "they" vagueness: "Cotton wool spots are one of the hallmarks of pre-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a condition caused by damaged blood vessels in the retina due to high blood sugar."