[Results of vitrectomy for macular packer after reattachment surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment]

I analyzed the visual results in 184 eyes which had undergone vitrectomy and membrane peeling for macular pucker following treatment for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Patient age ranged from 9 to 83 (mean : 55) years, time between reattachment surgery and vitrectomy from 3 to 63 (mean : 15) months, and follow-up from 12 to 96 (mean : 39) months. For the analysis, visual acuity was examined 12 months after the last surgery in 93 pseudophakic eyes and 38 phakic eyes (patients age < 45) and 6 months in 53 phakic eyes (patient age > or = 45). When Y = log 1.5-log (postoperative acuity) and X = log 1.5-log (preoperative acuity), the regression line Y = 0.421 X (R2 = 0.765, p < 0.0001) was obtained. The regression line was Y = 0.395 X (R2 = 0.759, p < 0.0001) for pseudophakic eyes, and Y = 0.488 X (R2 = 0.777, p < 0.0001) for phakic eyes. Thus postoperative visual acuity was higher in pseudophakic eyes than in phakic eyes. When calculated from the pseudophakic line, mean postoperative acuity was 0.2 for preoperative acuity of 0.01, 0.5 for 0.1, and > 1.0 for > 0.5. Postoperative acuity was inversely correlated with the duration between reattachment surgery and vitrectomy (R2 = 0.544, p < 0.0001), and with the patient age (R2 = 0.0046, p = 0.0033). Better postoperative acuity, therefore, was associated with earlier vitrectomy.