SECONDARY FULL THICKNESS MACULAR HOLES FOLLOWING COMPLETE VITRECTOMY FOR RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT: Rare...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Surgery
• Macular Diseases

Background:

• Secondary full thickness macular hole (FTMH) formation after vitrectomy for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is an uncommon complication.
• Understanding the risk factors and outcomes is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the incidence, risk factors, clinical course, and prognosis of secondary FTMH following RRD surgery.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of surgical repair for secondary FTMH.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of eyes undergoing pars plana vitrectomy for RRD between 2012 and 2022.
• Inclusion criteria: development of secondary FTMH post-vitrectomy without prior membrane peeling.
• Data collected on patient demographics, surgical interventions, and visual acuity outcomes.

Main Results:

• The incidence of secondary FTMH was 0.56% (29 out of 5,219 eyes).
• The median time to FTMH diagnosis was 14 months post-vitrectomy.
• Surgical repair (re-vitrectomy, ILM peeling, tamponade) achieved FTMH closure in 88.0% of cases, with significant visual acuity improvement (preoperative 20/215 to postoperative 20/145).

Conclusions:

• Secondary FTMH is a rare but treatable complication after RRD surgery.
• Re-pars plana vitrectomy can lead to successful anatomical closure and functional recovery.
• Visual acuity outcomes after repair are generally favorable but may not reach the levels seen in primary FTMH.