The Impact of the Foveal Bulge on Visual Acuity in Resolved Diabetic Macular Edema and Retinal Vein Occlusions

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of foveal bulge presence on visual acuity (VA) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans were conducted on 22 DME patients and 20 RVO patients. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was employed to analyze the association between VA and the presence of the foveal bulge, as well as factors such as sex, age, central foveal thickness, various line scans of the fovea, and the external limiting membrane (ELM).

In DME patients, the β value associated with foveal bulge presence was 10.2, while the β value for ELM presence was 36.19. For RVO patients, the β value for foveal bulge presence was 18.71. In the combined analysis of DME and RVO patients, VA increased by 14.24 letters with the presence of a foveal bulge.

The presence of a foveal bulge significantly enhances VA in patients with resolved DME and RVO. Our findings indicate that the increase in VA is more pronounced in RVO patients compared to those with DME. Additionally, the presence of the foveal bulge, ELM, and sex can serve as predictors for VA outcomes in these patient populations.