Abstract
Purpose: :
To study the natural history of the visual acuity (VA) in patients with idiopathic epiretinal fibrosis.
Methods: :
Retrospective chart review of patients operated for epiretinal fibrosis (EF) by pars plana vitrectomy from January 2004 until December 2007. Due to a long preoperative waiting list for vitreoretinal (VR) surgery in our department, we had the opportunity to study the natural history of VA in eyes with idiopathic EF while the patients are awaiting surgery.Visual acuities were recorded as Snellen acuities, and converted to the ETDRS format for analysis.
Results: :
72 eyes were investigated in 67 patients, 34 female and 38 male eyes. Mean age was 67 years of age (range 41-79). Visual acuity were recorded at the time the patients were scheduled for surgery (baseline VA), and again the day before surgery (preoperative VA). The median waiting time was: 160 days, range (0-528 days). Mean baseline VA was 58,3 +/-3,2 ETDRS letters. Preoperative VA was 51,6 +/-4,1 ETDRS letters. Showing a significant decrease in VA from referral for surgery until surgery is performed of -6,7 +/- 2,7 ETDRS letters. There was no significant correlation between the time the patients waited for surgery and the loss of VA. While the majority of the eyes suffered VA loss less than 15 ETDRS letters, 15 (21%) suffered moderate visual loss (VA loss ≥ 15 ETDRS letters), and 4 (6%) suffered severe visual loss (VA loss ≥ 30 ETDRS letters).
Conclusions: :
The visual acuity is stable over a period of many months in the majority of eyes with symptomatic epiretinal fibrosis, severe enough to warrant surgery. However one fifth of such eyes do suffer at least moderate visual loss within a few months. There is no correlation between the length of the observation time and the degree of visual loss in these patients.
Keywords: macula/fovea • visual acuity