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Currently available data from multicenter randomized trials on laser treatment of diabetic macular edema refer only to eyes with pretreatment visual acuities of 20/160 or better. After observing reduction of more severe macular edema and visual improvement following panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) alone in some patients, we reviewed our experience with this problem. In 18 eyes of 14 patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and visual acuity of 20/200 or worse, secondary to severe macular edema were identified. At 6 months after PRP without focal macular laser treatment, macular edema was reduced in 13 eyes, 8 of which improved by greater than or equal to 2 lines of vision. Among the latter 8 eyes, the visual acuity of 4 recovered to 20/80 or better; the remaining 10 eyes, which had chronic retinal pigment epithelial atrophy or extensive macular ischemia, did not improve. Based on these observations, we suggest that peripheral PRP performed in multiple sessions over several months may have a beneficial effect on severe macular edema in some eyes with adequate macular perfusion.

A 16-year-old Caucasian girl who showed no evidence of tuberculosis or other systemic disease developed acute panuveitis progressing to bilateral serous retinal detachments following purified protein derivative (PPD) skin testing on two separate occasions separated by an interval of 8 years. Both episodes responded rapidly to steroid therapy. Uveal hypersensitivity to PPD skin testing has been described in the presence of ocular or systemic tuberculosis, Eales' disease, and the Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome (VKH). Our case, however, suggests that profound uveitis may be precipitated by routine PPD skin testing alone.

We used a digital image processor to make multiple measurements from the fluorescein angiograms of 53 cases of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) associated with single leaks. We determined the area of the base of each serous detachment, the location of its geometric center (CM), the area of the RPE leak, the distance from the fovea to the leak, and the distance from the leak to the CM. The distribution of leaks across the base of the detachments was nonrandom (P less than 0.005) with leaks clustering near the centers of the detachments. When the leak was found within 1 disc diameter from the fovea, the center of the detachment was located virtually at the foveola, suggesting that the central macula is predisposed to the development of CSC. Detachments associated with "smokestack" leaks were significantly larger than those associated with round pinpoint leaks (P less than 0.02).

Folding of the choroid, Bruch's membrane, and the overlying retina occurs in a variety of ocular and orbital diseases and after certain surgical procedures. The etiology of the folding is explained, using the principles of deformation of materials and by considering the biomechanical properties of the choroid and sclera. Choroidal folds are likely to develop in association with any intra- or extraocular process that induces sufficient compressive stress within the choroid, Bruch's membrane, and retina to force these tissues to buckle. A detailed explanation of the pathogenesis of folding is presented in various clinical settings.

Contrast sensitivity testing has been recommended as a more sensitive indicator of early visual loss than visual field testing. Using gravity inversion to induce an intraocular pressure rise, we performed contrast sensitivity testing on each eye of 10 normal subjects in the upright and inverted positions. Contrast sensitivity results were not altered in the head-down position, even though in 5 of the 10 subjects (7 of 20 eyes), visual field alterations on static perimetry were elicited during inversion. In both of these evaluations, the subject's results in the upright position served as the control, freeing us from reliance upon age-matched populations. We conclude that precise measurement of static thresholds with automated perimetry is more sensitive than routine contrast sensitivity testing in detecting visual dysfunction related to transient acute elevations of intraocular pressure.