Eye conditions are common, and nearly every living person will have some condition over their life. Till the dawn of modern medicine, many communities accepted ocular conditions like cataracts or trachoma as part of life. Today, most of the common causes of vision impairment and blindness are well understood and have established and effective treatment protocols. However, there remains a vast range of ‘rare’ eye diseases (RED) with complex etiologies, which are poorly understood. Ranging from 1-in-1000 to one in a million, these REDs can be lifelong, frequently cause vision impairment, and could be signs of other systemic issues.
The July 2022 issue of the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology is a special issue on Rare Eye Diseases, bringing together the latest research in the field. It addresses a critical lacuna—an Indian ophthalmic registry of eye conditions that can be classified as ‘rare.’ As no such registry currently exists, this issue is also a call to action to identify and establish a RED registry for India. It is also significant that this RED issue is the first such issue in the field of hundreds of International Ophthalmology journals and their special issues.
The articles in this special issue cover niche topics, including consanguinity and discussions of a few rare conditions like Pediatric vitelliform macular dystrophy, X‐linked retinoschisis, and Dermolipoma. The issue also discusses international examples of ophthalmic registries for rare eye diseases, and the legal and public policy implications for treating such conditions. The issue is feature-rich with high-quality images and is a go-to resource for a comprehensive understanding of the latest in the field.
'This issue is a welcome compendium of these poorly understood eye conditions,' notes Dr. Muralidhar Ramappa, Lead of the Institute for Rare Eye Diseases and Ocular Genetics at the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI). Drs. Jalali and Ramappa from LVPEI were guest editors on this IJO issue. 'It is an immense pleasure to see that 15 articles in this issue are from LVPEI clinicians and researchers. This reflects our deep engagement and commitment to care for our patients with rare eye diseases at LVPEI.'
'This is a landmark issue in the annals of Ophthalmology journals, and we thank the editors for the opportunity,” said Dr. Subhadra Jalali, Network Director, LVPEI. “It was heartening to see the lively research across many institutions especially by young researchers, in understanding this neglected subject.'
Drs. Muralidhar Ramappa and Subhadra Jalali compliment the Women Ophthalmologists Society, India, and IJO editorship for taking up this issue dedicated exclusively to rare eye disorders.
