Vol 34 No 2 ORIGINAL ARTICLE PDF

Correlation of visual acuity and optical coherence tomography in patients with decreased visual acuity after surgery for retinal detachment

Ildefonso M. Chan, MD, Darby E. Santiago, MD, Rafael E. de Guzman III, MD

Objective
This study determined the incidence of macular abnormalities detected by optical coherence tomography (OCT) among patients who have undergone retinal-detachment surgery and investigated the association between pre- and postoperative vision, macular thickness, duration of detachment, and type of surgery done with respect to OCT findings.

Methods
This is a noncomparative, nonconsecutive prospective case series of 41 eyes with unsatisfactory vision after scleral buckling, vitrectomy, or pneumatic retinopexy. OCT of the macula were taken and pre- and postoperative visual acuity (VA), time until retinal repair, time until OCT, and type of surgery were analyzed.

Results
The mean postoperative VA was 20/130. There was a positive linear relationship between pre- and postoperative VA. The average macular thickness was 254 ± 60 µ, and a strong positive correlation with postoperative logMAR VA was observed. Nineteen (49%) eyes exhibited pockets of subretinal fluid (SRF), 6 had foveal thinning, 5 had macular hole, and 1 each had foveal cyst, cystoid macular edema, and epiretinal membrane. Six patients had worse vision after surgery, 2 of whom had SRF on OCT, 2 foveal thinning, 1 mild macular thickening, and 1 normal image.

Conclusion
OCT images of various macular abnormalities may explain post-detachmentsurgery visual complaints. There was a positive correlation between pre- and postoperative VA, and an inverse correlation between macular thickness and postoperative VA.

Keywords: Optical coherence tomography, Visual acuity, Subretinal fluid, Retinaldetachment surgery, Vitrectomy, Scleral buckling, Pneumatic retinopexy