The patient is nearly always asymptomatic. Rarely, the patient reports a sharp visual field defect corresponding to the area of the retinoschisis. The elevation may extend beyond the equator, and may rarely invade the posterior pole. The dome of the elevation is smooth and translucent.
Blood vessels traverse the dome and cast shadows on the underlying structures.
There is no pigmentation line unless a concurrent retinal detachment exists. These spaces coalesce to form interlacing tunnels. If enough cystic spaces coalesce, the retina will form a retinoschisis, splitting into an inner and outer layer cavity. The superficial retinal layers comprise the inner layer, while the deeper layers of the retina and RPE represent the outer layer of the retinoschisis cavity. There are technically two types of acquired retinoschisis.