Abstract
Purpose: :
To characterize patients with symptomatic visual changes from the vitreofoveal traction syndrome (VFTS) and to report clinical and optical coherence tomography (OCT) features after surgery.
Methods: :
A retrospective, non-comparative, interventional case series. 36 consecutive patients were identified by OCT to have focal vitreofoveal traction and underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). All patients had ≥3 months postoperative follow-up examination information.
Results: :
All eyes had focal vitreofoveal traction and cystoid macular edema (CME) on OCT. The preoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ranged from 20/40 to 20/400. 10 (28%) eyes had subfoveal fluid. Vitreofoveal traction was relieved postoperatively in all 29 eyes in which a postoperative OCT was available. The CME markedly or mostly resolved in 25 (86%) eyes, and subretinal fluid resolved or decreased markedly in 8 (89%) eyes. The mean postoperative follow-up interval was 7.3 months. Postoperative BCVA ranged from 20/20 to 1/200 with 12 (33%) eyes remaining within one line of preoperative BCVA, 18 (50%) eyes improving ≥2 lines (11 (31%) of which gained ≥4 lines), and 6 (17%) eyes decreasing ≥2 lines. Patients with <6 month preoperative duration of symptoms were statistically more likely to attain a visual acuity of ≥20/40 postoperatively, with 14/26 (54%) of eyes with symptoms ≤ than 6 months having ≥20/40 BCVA and 1/10 (10%) of eyes with a duration of symptoms > 6 months having a BCVA of ≥ 20/40 (p=0.048).
Conclusions: :
Patients with OCT-confirmed VFTS usually achieve favorable visual and anatomic outcomes after pars plana vitrectomy. Rates of visual acuity > 20/40 were higher among patients with less than a 6 month duration of symptoms.
Keywords: vitreoretinal surgery • vitreous • macula/fovea