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Simulate central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC/CSCR) — an idiopathic macular condition in which focal or multifocal abnormalities of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and inner choroid allow serous fluid to accumulate beneath the neurosensory retina, mechanically displacing foveal photoreceptors away from the RPE and disrupting the oxygen and nutrient supply essential for photoreceptor function. The displaced photoreceptors continue to respond to light stimuli but with reduced sensitivity, reduced temporal resolution, and geometrically distorted spatial mapping — producing the hallmark visual symptoms of metamorphopsia (wavy/distorted lines), micropsia (objects appear smaller), central relative scotoma, reduced contrast sensitivity, and colour desaturation in the affected eye. Model three clinical presentations: acute CSC (fresh subretinal fluid, typically self-limiting), chronic CSC (persistent fluid >4 months with secondary RPE atrophy and decompensation), and diffuse retinal pigment epitheliopathy (bilateral, widespread RPE pump dysfunction). Inspect ΔE colour shift, CIE xy chromaticity desaturation, and image-level visual degradation. Advanced macular imaging, choroidal disease, and pachychoroid spectrum disorder research tool.

Central serous chorioretinopathy colour science simulation by Auric Artisan.

Base color
CSC stage & settings
Severity / fluid height effect 50%
Image simulation
Upload JPG/PNG (max 1200 × 1200). See how a scene appears with acute subretinal fluid displacement, chronic RPE atrophy, or diffuse pigment epitheliopathy colour shifts.
Research notes
Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is among the most common acquired maculopathies, ranking fourth in prevalence after age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion. It was originally described by von Graefe in 1866 and characterised in its modern form by Gass in 1967. The central visual disturbance arises from an outward displacement of the photoreceptor outer segments into a dome of protein-rich subretinal fluid, shortening the effective optical path length through which photons must travel before reaching the photoreceptors — producing the classic micropsia (objects appear smaller than they are, due to photoreceptors being pushed further apart than their true spacing) and metamorphopsia (geometric distortion). The colour shift in CSC is characterised by generalised desaturation and mild luminance reduction rather than a hue shift, due to uniform photoreceptor sensitivity reduction from nutrient deprivation and fluid-mediated outer segment shortening.
Swatches
Normal
HEX: — • RGB: — • xy: —
CSC affected
HEX: — • RGB: — • xy: —
ΔE (CIE76)
—
ΔE (CIEDE2000)
—
Deep preview
Normal
CSC (deep)
Chromaticity (CIE xy)
Subretinal fluid chromaticity shift
D65 white point: 0.313, 0.329
Image simulation

Central serous chorioretinopathy simulations model photoreceptor displacement by subretinal fluid using a desaturation + luminance reduction approach in the sRGB colour space. Acute CSC primarily produces geometric distortion (metamorphopsia, micropsia) that cannot be replicated as a uniform colour shift — this tool provides colour science approximations of the photoreceptor sensitivity reduction and desaturation component for educational and research purposes. ΔE2000 per Sharma et al. (2005). Not for clinical diagnosis — active macular symptoms require urgent ophthalmic assessment including OCT and fluorescein angiography.

Multi-condition comparison
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Compare acute, chronic, and DRPE stages across multiple severity grades. Image simulation applies the distortion/colour shift profile to uploaded scenes.