LONG-TERM VISUAL OUTCOMES AND THE TIMING OF SURGICAL REPAIR OF FOVEA-SPLITTING RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENTS

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Surgery
• Vision Science

Background:

• Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a serious condition affecting vision.
• Fovea-splitting RRD presents unique challenges in surgical management and visual outcome prediction.
• Understanding the impact of surgical timing on visual acuity is crucial for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the visual outcomes following surgical repair of fovea-splitting RRD.
• To assess the influence of the timing of surgical intervention on visual acuity in different types of RRD (fovea-on, fovea-splitting, fovea-off).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of a consecutive cohort of 195 eyes undergoing surgery for RRD.
• Classification of RRD based on preoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT): fovea-on, fovea-splitting, or fovea-off.
• Primary outcome: visual acuity at last follow-up, correlated with surgical repair timing.

Main Results:

• Postoperative visual acuity was significantly better in fovea-on and fovea-splitting groups compared to the fovea-off group.
• Earlier surgical repair correlated with improved visual acuity in fovea-on and fovea-off RRD.
• No significant correlation was found between surgical timing and visual acuity in the fovea-splitting RRD group.

Conclusions:

• Surgery for fovea-splitting RRD yields favorable visual outcomes.
• Surgical timing is a critical factor for improving visual acuity in fovea-on and fovea-off RRD.
• These findings can guide clinical management decisions for urgent, vision-threatening RRD.