Posterior vitreous detachment as a risk factor for retinal detachment.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C L Schepens.
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Three patients, 2 males and 1 female, with intrasellar, hypersecretive pituitary adenoma were studied. Blood hypertension was present in all and hyperglycemia in 2 (1 male, 1 female). None had neurological signs of compression of the optic disk or chiasma. One patient showed bilateral circumpapillary and multiple retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) detachment with pooling defects and intraretinal leakage from small retinal arterioles. Another had loss of foveolar, macular and retinal reflexes in the right eye; negligible RPE changes became visible with fluorescein angiography. The third, who had developed malignant hypertension, manifested bilateral hypertensive neuroretinopathy and papilledema. The simultaneous improvement of general and ocular symptoms after removal of the pituitary tumor makes a causal relationship possible and even very likely, between the underlying disorder and fundus abnormalities.
We used vitreous videography in conjunction with the scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) to evaluate the pathogenesis of idiopathic macular breaks. The fundamental aspect of this method is videographic documentation of the mobile posterior vitreous and an operculum. The high reflectivity from the vitreous gel using the SLO clearly showed the mobility of the operculum and the posterior vitreous in the idiopathic macular breaks. In some cases without posterior vitreous detachment, the operculum initially was suspended superior to the macular break and anterior to the retinal surface. Upon ocular movement, the operculum moved down smoothly in front of the macular break. The findings of these vitreous videographs using the SLO suggest that anteriorly oriented vitreous traction is one cause of idiopathic macular breaks.
PURPOSE: Variations in vitreomacular adhesions and the significance of a hole in the premacular hyaloid membrane were studied clinically to better understand vitreomacular pathology. METHODS: With an El-Bayadi-Kajiura aspheric preset lens, the authors used a vitreous examination technique on 96 eyes, which were divided into three groups. Findings were recorded photographically. RESULTS: Group 1 (25 eyes, 26%) included eyes with a partial posterior vitreous detachment and a residual vitreomacular attachment, but no hole in the premacular hyaloid. All eyes in this group, except one, showed another complication. Diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion were the most frequent problems noted. Premacular fibrosis, often present in these eyes, may have been precipitated by a vascular complication in the retina. In groups 2 and 3 (71 eyes, 74%), a hole was seen in the premacular hyaloid. Group 2 (46 eyes, 48%) comprised eyes showing a partial posterior vitreous detachment with a strand of vitreous that extruded through the hole in the posterior hyaloid and adhered to the macula. In group 3 (25 eyes, 26%), the hole in the premacular hyaloid was accompanied by a total posterior vitrous detachment. The most common complication noted in eyes in groups 2 and 3 was premacular fibrosis (34 of 71 eyes, 47.9%). The persistence of a residual vitreous attachment to the macula was accompanied by a significantly greater frequency of visual acuity equal to or worse than 20/200. CONCLUSIONS: Variations in vitreomacular pathology seem to result from differences in the strength of the vitreomacular adhesion and in the process of vitreous liquefaction and shrinkage. In patients with a hole in the premacular hyaloid membrane, the vitreomacular attachment is stronger than the vitreous attachment to other parts of the retina. The latter feature may cause visual acuity deterioration. When there is a hole in the premacular hyaloid membrane, the presence or absence of a vitreomacular adhesion may affect the prognosis for macular function.
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I present what, in my opinion, is the optimal technique of managing primary simple retinal breaks and retinal detachment. For the preoperative examination, I recommend indirect stereoscopic ophthalmoscopy with scleral depression. The macula and suspected small peripheral breaks are studied with the biomicroscope and a three-mirror contact lens. Retinal breaks without retinal detachment are treated with cryotherapy if they are located anteriorly; with laser photocoagulation if they are posterior. Breaks with frank detachment can be treated with Lincoff's balloon, a procedure I prefer over pneumatic retinopexy. Multiple retinal breaks and those associated with fairly extensive chorioretinal degeneration are best treated with a permanent scleral buckling, the various modalities of which, along with their indications, I discuss in some detail.
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The clinical entity of posterior vitreoschisis, splitting of the posterior cortical vitreous, is not well known. We confirmed its presence biomicroscopically in cases with posterior vitreous detachment and found it mostly associated with retinal vascular diseases, usually manifesting as two dense vitreous membranes with defects. When posterior vitreoschisis develops in an otherwise normal eye, it may not manifest as two membranes, but can form a crescent-shaped, optically empty space in the posterior vitreous cavity. Because its management is different, posterior vitreoschisis should be differentiated from other, apparently similar, conditions, especially posterior vitreous detachment.
Seven cases in which long-term complications developed from swelling of the MAI hydrogel intrascleral buckling implant are reported herein. Micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis of two recovered implants demonstrated the occurrence of chemical changes leading to increased swelling. Clinical problems with the implants appeared 7 to 11 years after surgery, suggesting the need for periodic, long-term follow-up. It is possible that the present-day MIRAgel implant, which has the same chemical composition as the MAI implant, may require similar precautions.
We report three patients with persistent epithelial defects in the context of neurotrophic keratopathy that healed while on treatment with topically applied, mouse-derived epidermal growth factor (m-EGF). The clinical course of these patients was striking and suggests that EGF may have a potential role in the treatment of persistent epithelial defects in subjects suffering from neurotrophic keratitis.
The authors studied the results obtained by the Retina Associates in 376 eyes of 361 patients operated on for retinal detachment associated with aphakia or pseudophakia with a postoperative follow-up of at least 6 months. All eyes underwent scleral buckling. The series included 103 eyes with aphakia, 17 eyes with iris-fixated intraocular lens, 111 eyes with anterior chamber (AC) IOL, and 145 eyes with posterior chamber (PC) IOL. The overall success rate for retinal detachment was 93%, without significant difference among the different groups. The aphakia and PC IOL groups had significantly higher prevalence (63% and 60%, respectively) of visual acuity equal to or better than 20/40 compared with the AC IOL group (33%). The prevalence of postoperative corneal edema in the AC IOL group was significantly higher than in the aphakia and PC IOL groups. Preoperative vitreous hemorrhage, large retinal breaks, posterior retinal breaks, total retinal detachment, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and the need for performing a closed vitrectomy were significant factors in predicting ultimate failure.
The authors studied the characteristics of 376 eyes of 361 patients with primary retinal detachment (RD) and surgical aphakia (103 eyes) or pseudophakia (273 eyes). Of the pseudophakic eyes, 17 had an iris-fixated intraocular lens (IOL), 111 had an anterior chamber (AC) IOL, and 145 had a posterior chamber (PC) IOL. Of the PC IOL cases, 48 (33%) had undergone YAG capsulotomy, and 46% of them developed RD within 6 months after capsulotomy. The frequency of no breaks found in pseudophakic RD (15%) was significantly higher than in RD with simple aphakia (5%). The most frequent reasons were incomplete fundus view due to a small pupil in the iris-fixated (83%) and the AC (44%) groups, and cloudiness of capsular remnants in the PC group (78%). In pseudophakic RD, sizable single tears, located more posteriorly than in RD with simple aphakia, were frequent. The authors speculate that in pseudophakic RD the retinal breaks may resemble those noted in phakic RD.
The condition of the posterior vitreous was determined in 56 eyes with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Using a life-table analysis, it was studied in 56 eyes. The incidence of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in the CRVO eyes at the first vitreous examination did not differ significantly from that in 64 age-matched control eyes. However, the incidence of PVD in CRVO eyes increased from 39.3% at the first vitreous examination to 58.5% after 6 months, and to 69.6% 1 year from the examination. The incidence of PVD in CRVO eyes during follow-up was statistically higher than that of the controls (P = .009). The incidence of PVD after the first vitreous examination was significantly higher in eyes with hemorrhagic retinopathy than in eyes with venous stasis retinopathy (P = .04). In the 34 eyes with macular edema, the edema lasted significantly longer in those with vitreomacular attachment (VMA) at the first examination than in those without VMA at this time (P = .02). VMA may play an important role in the pathogenesis and chronicity of macular edema in CRVO.
In eight eyes of eight patients we retrospectively studied the outcome of subretinal hemorrhage occurring in areas of atrophy of retinal pigment epithelium and choriocapillaris secondary to age-related macular degeneration. These patients were followed up for one to 20 months after the initial appearance of the hemorrhage. No subretinal new vessels were associated with these hemorrhages, which resolved over one to 15 months. Our findings indicated that hemorrhages occurring within areas of atrophy are not necessarily associated with subretinal new vessels, and that this type of hemorrhage has a good prognosis for resolution.
The authors assessed retrospectively the clinical records of 80 patients (137 eyes) with diabetic retinopathy who were 50 years of age or younger and who had undergone a vitreous examination. The group comprised 53 patients (91 eyes) with macular edema and 27 patients (46 eyes) without macular edema. Vitreous studies using the El Bayadi-Kajiura lens determined whether the posterior vitreous was attached to the retina in the macula. Forty (42.1%) of 91 eyes in the edema group and none (0%) of the 46 eyes in the nonedema group had a detached posterior vitreous. This difference was statistically significant, indicating that young diabetic patients with macular edema have a significantly higher rate of posterior vitreous detachment than those without macular edema.
Of 27 eyes with peripapillary choroidal neovascular membranes (PPCNM), 17 (63%) had age-related macular degeneration and ten (37%) were idiopathic. PPCNM were treated in 25 eyes using the monochromatic green argon laser. Two eyes were untreatable. After an average follow-up of 37.7 months, successful closure of the choroidal new vessels was obtained in 23 eyes (92%), and visual acuity was stabilized or improved in 20 (80%). Seven eyes (28%) had recurrences; in four, the new vessels extended into the macula. Post-treatment, three eyes ultimately had dry macular scars, and one had an exudative macular scar. Of these four eyes, only the one with a dry macular scar showed visual improvement. No treated cases showed arcuate scotoma.
We describe two patients with a unilateral uveal effusion syndrome characterized by spontaneous ciliochoroidal and retinal detachment, shallow anterior chamber, poorly reactive pupil, and bulbar hypotony. A space-occupying substance of high molecular weight (sodium hyaluronate), injected into the anterior chamber, raised the intraocular pressure of these patients to 24 mm Hg. Within 24 to 72 hours the uvea flattened, and later the retina settled completely. Satisfactory clinical stability has continued in the follow-up period. Because a rheologic study of the aqueous humor revealed hyposecretion and hypotony in the apparently unaffected fellow eye, it is suggested that a primary bulbar hypotony can trigger a uveal effusion syndrome in an otherwise normal-sized eye with no structural abnormality.
We reviewed the records of 61 patients with age-related macular degeneration who had an exudative or a dry macular scar and who had received low-vision rehabilitation. Exudative scars resulted from the natural course of sub-retinal new vessels, and dry scars from successful photocoagulation to the new vessels. Low-vision aids consisted of high-power positive lenses. Eyes were divided into three groups according to their distance visual acuity before using low-vision aids: Group 1, 20/100; Group 2, 20/200 to 20/300; and Group 3, 20/400 or poorer. The print size resolution on the Rosenbaum pocket vision screener and power of the low-vision aid in each group were compared for the eyes having exudative scars and those with dry photocoagulation scars. In Groups 2 and 3, eyes with dry macular scars reached a similar resolution of print size but with significantly (P less than .01) lower-power visual aids than eyes with exudative macular scars. In Group 1, eyes with dry macular scars achieved a better print size resolution using significantly (P less than .01) lower-power visual aids than eyes with exudative scars.