Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate the morphological and functional changes of the macula with cystoid macular edema (CME) in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Methods: :
The best–corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR units) and the OCT–determined foveal thickness were examined in 28 eyes of 20 RP patients with CME detected by OCT (CME eyes), and in 449 eyes of 231 RP patients without CME (non–CME eyes).
Results: :
The mean age of the patients was 46.7 years in the CME eyes and 49.6 years in the non–CME eyes, and this difference was not significant. The mean foveal thickness was significantly greater in CME eyes (310.6 µm) than in non–CME eyes (193.3 µm) (P<0.001). The mean BCVA in the two groups was not significantly different (CME eyes: 0.31, non–CME eyes: 0.33). In the CME eyes, the BCVA was significantly correlated with the age (r=0.62, P<0.001), but no significant correlation was observed between foveal thickness and BCVA, and between age and foveal thickness. In the non–CME eyes, the BCVA was significantly correlated with age (r=0.2, P<0.001) and with foveal thickness (r=0.33, P<0.001).
Conclusions: :
The VA was not significantly reduced in RP eyes with CME as compared to those without CME. The VA in RP eyes, with or without CME, was inversely correlated with age. Aging, rather than CME, may be the major risk factor for the visual reduction in RP patients.
Keywords: macula/fovea • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • visual acuity