Published on Aug 14, 2019
In its 2017 Session, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution 750 which establishes August 17th of each year as Coats Disease Awareness Day. Coats Disease is a rare eye condition that primarily afflicts young children and teenagers, but it can affect adults as well. It can cause blood vessels in one or both eyes to develop abnormally, causing exudative leakage in the back of the eye. Without early detection, treatment or surgery, these changes may progress to trauma, damage, partial or total blindness, or even require enucleation. Coats is sometimes hard to diagnose. To learn more about Coats Disease, go to this link for Rare Diseases Info from the National Institutes of Health. It is hoped that early detection and research to find more effective treatments will lead to better outcomes for the citizens of the Commonwealth with this disease. Remember, August 17th is Coats Disease Awareness Day!
Virginia Board of Medicine
medbd@dhp.virginia.gov | Contact the Board
William L. Harp, MD, Executive Director
John R. Clements, DPM, President