Superior retinal detachment in an oil-filled eye with a colobomatous optic disc

Optic disk pits are known as congenital cavitary defects associated with serous detachment of the retina; 75% of such cases do not resolve spontaneously, and surgical management is required. The use of gas or oil tamponade in these cases has been associated with detachment of the retina attributed to the passage of intravitreal gas or fluid via the disk pit and into the subretinal space. Prophylactic peripapillary laser retinopexy is therefore recommended peroperatively to create a barrier to fluid flow between the vitreous cavity and the subretinal space.

Case report.

We report a case of optic nerve coloboma and serous macular detachment with redetachment of the retina that occurred many months after initial gas and then oil tamponade. The patient developed a superior retinal detachment containing oil in an oil-filled eye in the absence of retinal breaks. To our knowledge, superior retinal detachment containing oil in an oil-filled eye with an optic disk pit has not been described previously.

This case raises an interesting discussion on both the pathophysiology of redetachment associated with optic disk pits and their management.