Objective To observe the effects of local macular foveal photoreceptor defects on visual acuity.Methods Thirty-one patients (31 eyes) with photoreceptor defect in macular fovea (case group) diagnosed by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and 30 patients (30 eyes) age- and diopter- matched normal subjects (control group) were enrolled in this study. There were 22 eyes with full photoreceptor defects and 9 eyes with outer segment defects in case group. All subjects were examined for best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), slit-lamp microscopy, direct ophthalmoscope and SD-OCT. Independent sample t-test was used to compare central foveal thickness (CFT) between case group and control group. Difference of logMAR BCVA, CFT, maximum width and height of photoreceptor defects, defected area and residual retinal thickness in macular between patients with full photoreceptor defects and outer segment defects were also compared.Results The CFT of case group and control group were (225.32plusmn;19.70),(240.02plusmn;10.70) mu;m, the difference was not statistically significant (t=-1.96, P＞0.05). In full photoreceptor defects and outer segment defects patients, the mean logMAR BCVA were 0.22plusmn;0.31, 0.32plusmn;0.43; the mean CFT were (224.09plusmn;20.57), (228.33plusmn;18.17) mu;m; the maximum width of photoreceptor defects were (131.32plusmn;108.18), (143.22plusmn;66.93) mu;m; the mean defected area were (0.022plusmn;0.054), (0.019plusmn;0.019) mm2; the mean maximum height of photoreceptor defects were (77.41plusmn;6.62), (44.89plusmn;4.26) mu;m; the mean residual retinal thickness were (87.00plusmn;20.31), (128.33plusmn;23.54) mu;m respectively. There was no statistical significance between full photoreceptor defects and outer segment defects patients in the mean logMAR BCVA, CFT, maximum width of photoreceptor defects and defected area (t=-0.76, -0.538, -0.305, 0.166; P＞0.05), but there were significant difference in mean maximum width of photoreceptor defects and residual retinal thickness (t=12.72, -4.91;P＜0.05). Conclusions The local photoreceptor defects in macular fovea can lead to decrease of visual acuity. The wider the photoreceptor defects, the worse the visual acuity.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the correlation between macular microstructure changes and visual outcome before and after scleral buckling for macular-off primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). MethodsA total of 43 eyes in 43 patients with RRD were enrolled in this retrospective study. All patients underwent scleral buckling and the retina was successfully reattached. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were measured for all patients before and at 3 days, 1, 3 and 6 months after surgery. The height of subretinal fluids (SRF), the thickness of retinal neurosensory layer in foveal, and the thickness of outer nuclear layer (ONL) were measured. The microstructure changes of external limiting membrane (ELM), junction line and intermediate line of photoreceptor inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) were observed. The correlation between morphologic changes in the macular foveal and BCVA on 6 months after surgery were also analyzed. ResultsThe mean preoperative BCVA was 1.18±0.93. The detached retinas had 3 types of SD-OCT images, including normal foveal contour without edema, diffuse edema with ONL cystoids cavities, diffuse edema with ONL cystoids cavities and wave-like ONL. The mean preoperative SRF height was (885.05±493.28) μm. The preoperative mean thickness of retinal neurosensory layer in foveal and ONL in the RRD eyes were thinner than the healthy fellow eyes (t=2.642, 1.895;P < 0.05). The fluids and cystoids cavities were absorbed, retina reattached in all the RRD eyes at 3 days after surgery. SRF had been detected in 100.0%, 93.0%, 77.8%, 46.5% RRD eyes on 3 days, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after surgery, with heights of (219.00±117.02), (163.51±72.83), (101.27±64.47), (55.69±21.15) μm respectively. There were 3 patterns of residual SRF: diffuse, subfoveal multi-bleb, subfoveal single bleb. Compared with the healthy fellow eyes, there were significant differences in the mean thickness of foveal neurosensory layer (t=-10.658, -8.550, -6.955) and ONL thickness (t=-6.240, -5.424, -3.326, -3.323) at 3 days, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after surgery(P < 0.05), except for the thickness of foveal neurosensory layer at 6 months after surgery (t=-2.186, P=0.570). The reattached retinas had 4 types of SD-OCT images, including: (1) disrupted ELM, IS/OS line and intermediate line; (2) intact ELM with disrupted IS/OS line and intermediate line; (3) intact ELM and IS/OS line with disrupted intermediate line; (4) intact ELM, IS/OS line and intermediate line. The mean postoperative BCVA at different time points were better than preoperative BCVA (t=-3.12, -4.89, -5.03, -4.53; P < 0.05). The postoperative BCVA of eyes with intact IS/OS was different from that of eyes with disrupted IS/OS at 6 months after surgery (t=2.609, P < 0.05). The preoperative SRF height, thickness of foveal neurosensory layer and ONL were correlated with the BCVA at 6 months after surgery (r=0.817, 0.028, 0.521; P < 0.05). ConclusionsMacular-off RRD eyes had SRF, thinner foveal neurosensory layer and ONL before and after scleral buckling. The disruption of ELM, IS/OS junction line and intermediate line can be seen in most of RRD patients. The thinner foveal neurosensory layer and ONL were correlated with the slow recovery of postoperative BCVA.