Loculated subretinal fluid after pneumatic vitreolysis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Surgery

Background:

• Vitreomacular traction (VMT) can cause decreased visual acuity.
• Pneumatic vitreolysis (PVL) is a surgical technique used to treat VMT.

Observation:

• A 74-year-old female with VMT experienced decreased visual acuity.
• PVL treatment led to successful VMT release but caused a novel complication: loculated subretinal fluid.
• This fluid persisted for 14 months before spontaneous resolution.

Findings:

• Loculated subretinal fluid is an unusual complication of PVL.
• Despite persistent fluid, no adverse visual outcomes were observed.
• Visual acuity ultimately improved after fluid resolution.

Implications:

• This case highlights an uncommon but benign complication of PVL.
• It suggests that persistent subretinal fluid may resolve over time without permanent vision loss.
• Ophthalmologists should be aware of this potential complication when performing PVL.