Güner, Melis Kabaalioğlu

Abstract Purpose To investigate preoperative and postoperative factors affecting functional success in anatomically successful retinal detachment surgery. Methods 75 eyes of 75 patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) who underwent anatomically successful surgery, from 2014 to 2019 with more than one year follow up were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, ocular examination findings, preoperative and postoperative Spectral Domain Optic Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) images were retrospectively evaluated. Results The mean age was 53.9 ± 17 (range: 11–85). The mean follow-up period was 36.7 ± 16 (range: 14–72) months. The mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the patients before surgery was 1.35 ± 1.24, and at postoperative 12 months was 0.66 ± 0.5 logMAR. Patients who were operated in 7 days of visual symptoms onset were found to have better visual acuity at the first and subsequent postoperative exams. Preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), vitreous hemorrhage (VH) and extent of retinal detachment were found to have a negative effect on functional success at 12 months. Regeneration of the outer retinal layers had a positive effect on visual acuity at 12 months but did not significantly increase visual acuity after 12 months. Multivariate analysis showed that preoperative external limiting membrane (ELM) integrity was significantly associated with better functional outcomes. Conclusion Early intervention, presence of preoperative ELM integrity and restoration of postoperative outer retinal layers positively affected functional success. The presence of preoperative VH, PVR and the extent of retinal detachment had a negative effect on prognosis at 12 months.