Macular holes after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair: surgical management and functional outcome.

PURPOSE

To review the surgical management and functional outcome of macular holes (MHs) developing after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair.

METHODS

Retrospective, interventional, noncomparative case series. Twenty patients with MH developing after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair were included. Pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling and gas tamponade was performed. Macular attachment status and number of best-corrected visual acuity lines of improvement after MH repair were evaluated.

RESULTS

The fovea had been detached in all eyes at the time of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair. Six MHs developed after scleral buckling surgery and 14 MHs after vitrectomy with an encircling band. In 5 of the 20 patients, ≥ 2 operations had been required to achieve retinal reapplication. The mean time to MH diagnosis was 38 weeks. Preoperative best-corrected visual acuity was ≤ 20/100 in all but one case. Single-operation MH closure rate was 100%, with a mean of 4 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study lines of visual improvement (P < 0.001). Mean postoperative Snellen best-corrected visual acuity was 20/70 (± 0.15) (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

In this small retrospective study, standard surgical treatment for idiopathic MH was effective in achieving anatomical closure of these secondary MHs, but visual acuity gain was limited by the previous macula-involving rhegmatogenous retinal detachment status.