Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To examine the changes of the macular function and the foveal retinal thickness after successful retinal detachment surgery. Methods: We examined 23 patients with unilateral rhegmatogenous retinal detachment treated successfully by a single conventional buckling surgery. Preoperatively, the macula was attached in 14 eyes (macula-on group), and detached in 12 eyes (macula-off group). Multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) and optical coherent tomographically (OCT)-determined foveal thickness were measured before, and at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery. Results: In the macula-on group, there was no significant difference in the foveal thickness between the operated eyes and normal fellow eyes at any point during the follow-up. In the macula-off group, the foveal thickness was significantly thicker in the operated eyes than in the fellow eyes before and at 1 month after surgery (P=0.002 and P=0.0002, respectively), but not significant at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. In both groups, the macular response density of the mfERGs was significantly smaller in the operated eyes than in fellow eyes throughout the follow-up period (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the peak latency of the macular mfERG between operated eyes and fellow eyes among the macula-on group, pre- and postoperatively. The macula-off eyes showed significantly delayed peak latency preoperatively (P<0.01), however, no significance postoperatively. Conclusions: Regardless of the preoperative macular condition, the foveal thickness returned to normal after successful surgery. However, the reduced amplitudes of the macular mfERG may indicate persistent damage of the macular function postoperatively even in eyes without macular detachment.
Keywords: retinal detachment • electroretinography: clinical • imaging/image analysis: clinical