Active chorioretinitis is best described by which lesion characteristic?

• A. Poorly defined lesions
• B. Well defined scars
• C. Hyperreflective tapetal lesions
• D. Retinal detachment only

Answer: (A)

Active chorioretinitis is defined by ongoing inflammation that makes the lesion borders appear blurred and poorly defined. Edema and inflammatory cell infiltration at the chorioretinal interface blur tissue planes, so edges are indistinct rather than crisp. This contrasts with healed or inactive disease, where the scarring that remains tends to have well-defined borders. The other descriptors don’t capture the dynamic nature of active inflammation: scars indicate past disease, not current activity; hyperreflective tapetal lesions aren’t a standard hallmark of active chorioretinitis in humans; and retinal detachment, while possible as a complication, isn’t a characteristic feature used to describe activity.