Urgent surgery for RD gives best post-op VA

Urgent vitrectomy/phacovitrectomy to treat retinal detachment will produce the best postoperative visual acuity when it is conducted within 2 days or less of the detachment (RD), according to a study in the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology.

Researchers conducted a retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series of 56 eyes with macula-on RD and 126 eyes with bullous macula-off RD.

When the duration of macula detachment was 2 days or less, approximately 90% of eyes achieved a postoperative 20/40 best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Between 2 and 10 days, the ratio of eyes achieving BCVA of 20/40 decreased (P = 0.008), plateauing around 40%. Mean BCVA showed a statistically significant decrease when the time from the RD to the vitrectomy/phacovitrectomy exceeded 10 days (P = 0.009).

"An increasing number of ophthalmologists are using vitrectomy as the first line of treatment for retinal detachment," the researchers said. "To achieve a good postoperative visual acuity, urgent surgery with a duration of macular detachment of 2 days or less is desired. Operative repair within this period, rather than outright emergency surgery, may be appropriate for most cases."

To view the abstract of this study, click here.