Vitreous surgery for highly myopic eyes with foveal detachment and retinoschisis

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of vitreous surgery for highly myopic eyes with foveal detachment and retinoschisis. Design: Retrospective comparative interventional case series. Participants: Seven patients (nine highly myopic eyes) with posterior staphyloma with foveal detachment and retinoschisis without macular hole. Preoperative best-corrected visual acuity in nine eyes ranged from 0.02 to 0.4 (average, 0.17). Methods: Vitreous surgery performed on all nine eyes consisted of core vitrectomy, surgically induced posterior vitreous detachment (three eyes), removal of the premacular vitreous cortex and internal limiting membrane in the posterior staphyloma, and 30% SF6 gas tamponade. Patients were instructed to maintain a prone position for at least 1 day after surgery. The postoperative follow-up period ranged from 6 to 42.5 months (average, 20.4 months). Main Outcome Measures: Visual acuity, retinal tomography monitored by optical coherence tomography. Results: In eight of the nine eyes, foveal detachment and retinoschisis gradually decreased in height, and these eyes finally attained foveal attachment and visual improvement within 6 months postoperatively. The postoperative best-corrected visual acuity of these eight eyes ranged from 0.4 to 0.6 (average, 0.48). One eye developed a full-thickness macular hole during vitreous surgery, and its postoperative best-corrected visual acuity was 0.08. Conclusions: Foveal detachment and retinoschisis in highly myopic eyes resolved after vitrectomy. Vitreous surgery might have a rationale as prophylactic treatment for highly myopic eyes at high risk of macular hole development. (C) 2003 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.