SUBFOVEAL CHOROIDAL THICKNESS CHANGE AFTER PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY IN RECENT ONSET RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT

In Brief Purpose: To evaluate changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT) after recent onset rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and primary pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Methods: This retrospective study included 22 eyes of 22 patients who had primary PPV for the management of recent onset RRD. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), central foveal thickness (CFT), and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT) were measured before and 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after the surgery. The changes in measurements were compared between operated and fellow eyes. Results: The preoperative mean SCT of eyes with RRD was 350.2 ± 47.8 μm and of fellow eyes was 258.9 ± 46.7 μm, respectively. The postoperative mean SCT of operated eyes at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months were 265.1 ± 45.1, 260.9 ± 46.6 and 261.1 ± 46.7 μm and of fellow eyes 256.9 ± 45.8, 257 ± 46.1 and 256.8 ± 46.6 μm, respectively. A statistically significant decrease in SCT (P < 0.001), an increase in IOP (P < 0.001), and an improvement in BCVA (P < 0.001) were observed in eyes with RRD 3 months after the surgery (Friedman test). Conclusion: The mean preoperative SCT of eyes with RRD was found to be greater than that of fellow eyes without any ocular surgery or disease. The increased mean SCT showed a tendency to decrease after PPV. This may be related to increased uveoscleral outflow and intraocular inflammation after RRD, and it may be concluded that vitrectomy does not affect choroidal thickness. The mean preoperative subfoveal choroidal thickness of eyes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment was found to be thicker than that of healthy unoperated fellow eyes and this may be related to increased uveoscleral outflow and intraocular inflammation after recent onset rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.