VITREORETINAL SURGERY OUTCOMES - IMPACT ON BILATERAL VISUAL FUNCTION

Purpose: The authors evaluated the impact of vitreoretinal surgery for epiretinal membrane (ERM), rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), a nd complex retinal detachment (CRD) on bilateral visual function, Meth ods: Anatomic and visual acuity outcomes were reviewed by the authors for all patients who underwent surgery for ERM, RRD, or CRD during a 2 -year period. Several outcome measures of bilateral visual function we re applied to quantitate the impact of surgery on bilateral visual fun ction, Data were also analyzed by subdividing patients into two cohort s based on whether vision in the fellow eye was normal (visual acuity greater than or equal to 20/40) or abnormal (visual acuity less than o r equal to 20/50) at baseline. Results: Anatomic and visual acuity out comes of 187 study eyes were similar to previous studies. Postoperativ ely, the study eye was the eye with better vision in 30.9%, 26.8%, and 16.7% of patients with ERM, RRD, and CRD, respectively, The mean bila teral visual impairment according to American Medical Association Guid elines for Disability decreased postoperatively by 8.7% points, 6.8% p oints, and 3.6% points, respectively, and decreased most when vision i n the fellow eye was abnormal, A higher bilateral visual system functi onal level resulted postoperatively in 10.7% of all patients, includin g 28.6% of patients with abnormal vision in the fellow eye (by definit ion, the visual system functional level of patients with normal vision in the fellow eye could not be improved). Conclusions: Surgery was as sociated with a reduction in bilateral visual disability among patient s with ERM, RRD, and CRD, and 28.6% of patients with abnormal vision i n the fellow eye achieved a higher bilateral visual functional level.