Walsh & Hoyt: Management

The various features of the TSC are treated individually. Patients with seizures can be treated with antiepileptic drugs with variable success. Cortical resection of epileptic foci is also an effective means of controlling seizures in selected patients. Patients with mental retardation may need special schooling and vocational training depending on the severity of retardation. The most severely affected patients usually require institutionalization. The ocular lesions rarely necessitate treatment, although portions of a calcified retinal hamartoma may break off and float freely in the vitreous, producing minor visual difficulties. Vitreous hemorrhage related to retinal hamartomas usually clears spontaneously. Rarely, vitrectomy is necessary to restore vision.