Optical coherence tomography findings in the macula after treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachments with spared macula preoperatively

Purpose: To present the postoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings of the macula in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with spared macula preoperatively. Methods: Eleven of 46 patients who underwent surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment had an uninvolved macula preoperatively. Scleral buckling without intravitreous gas injection was the operation used in all eyes. All 11 patients were examined before and after treatment with slit-lamp biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, and OCT. Results: In 3 of the 11 patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and uninvolved macula preoperatively, fluid was identified with OCT in the macula after successful treatment. OCT showed that the fluid gradually diminished and finally disappeared 5 to 7 months after the scleral buckling procedure. The fluid in the macula became visible with slit-lamp biomicroscopy in only one of the three patients. Conclusion: Subretinal fluid in a preoperatively uninvolved macula can be found after successful treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. If the fluid is located in the fovea, the visual acuity decreases and does not reach the preoperative levels. OCT identifies the presence of fluid and contributes to the study of the fluid’s evolution.