DRUSEN REGRESSION AFTER MACULA-INVOLVING RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT REPAIR

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Surgery
• Macular Diseases

Background:

• Drusen are yellowish deposits under the retina, often associated with age-related macular degeneration.
• Macula-involving rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) requires surgical intervention.
• The impact of RRD repair on co-existing drusen is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of macula-involving RRD repair on the regression of drusen.
• To analyze the changes in drusen morphology after surgical repair of RRD.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of patients with drusen undergoing macula-involving RRD repair.
• Longitudinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans analyzed by three independent graders.
• Classification of drusen changes into regression, persistence, or mixed categories.

Main Results:

• 14 eyes with drusen and macula-involving RRD were analyzed.
• Surgical methods included pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and scleral buckle.
• Drusen regression observed in 43% of eyes, persistence in 36%, and mixed changes in 21%.

Conclusions:

• The course of drusen following macula-involving RRD repair is variable.
• Approximately half of the eyes showed significant drusen regression post-surgery.
• Long-term follow-up in one case with drusen regression led to geographic atrophy.