BACILLARY LAYER DETACHMENT IN A KOREAN COHORT WITH NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

To evaluate the incidence and characteristics of bacillary layer detachment (BALAD) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

This retrospective study was performed at Kim's Eye Hospital in South Korea. Patients who were diagnosed with neovascular age-related macular degeneration between January 2017 and December 2017 were included. The incidence of BALAD was compared among different types of macular neovascularization (MNV). The best-corrected visual acuity and central retinal thickness at diagnosis were compared between patients showing BALAD at diagnosis and those who did not.

Among the 442 patients included, BALAD was observed in 20 patients (4.5%). There was a significant difference in the incidence of BALAD between Type 1 MNV (2.7%), Type 2 MNV (12.5%), and Type 3 MNV (0%) (P < 0.001). The best-corrected visual acuity was significantly worse (mean 1.26 ± 0.79 vs. 0.62 ± 0.50, P = 0.001), and the central retinal thickness was significantly greater (mean 648.2 ± 211.1 µm vs. 464.0 ± 175.5 µm, P < 0.001) in patients with BALAD than in those without it. After antivascular endothelial growth factor therapy, all BALADs resolved.

This study first reported the incidence of the BALAD in neovascular age-related macular degeneration in a Korean population. The incidence of BALAD was the highest in Type 2 MNVs. Bacillary layer detachment generally develops in eyes with great macular thickness and poor visual acuity.