VISUAL RECOVERY IN MACULA-OFF RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENTS

Objective: This study aimed to review the best postoperative visual re covery in patients with macula-off detachments of 7 days' duration or less. Design: Noncontrolled, prospective, interventional case series, Participants: A total of 104 patients with macula-off detachments of 7 days or less were studied, and the time of the macular detachment wit hin the first 7 days was carefully determined. Intervention: All 104 d etachments were repaired with a primary scleral buckling procedure. Fo ur cases were primary failures and were excluded from the study. Main Outcome Measures: Statistical methods were used to compare the visual results of three groups of patients; those operated on between 1 and 2 days, 3 and 4 days, or 5 and 7 days after macular involvement. Result s: The mean postoperative visual acuity was 20/60. Fifty-nine percent of patients regained 20/50 or better visual acuity, 35% regained visua l acuity between 20/60 and 20/200, and 5% of patients were left with v isual acuity of less than 20/200 regardless of whether they had underg one surgery within 1 to 2 days, 3 to 4 days, or 5 to 7 days after macu lar involvement. There was no statistical difference in visual recover y in patients operated on within 1 to 2 days, 3 to 4 days, or 5 to 7 d ays after macular involvement (P = 0.533), Conclusion: Within the firs t week after development of macula-off retinal detachment, delay in su rgical repair does not adversely affect visual outcome.