Patients who undergo macula-off retinal detachment (RD) surgery within three days of the incident have much better odds of complete visual acuity recovery compared with those who have delayed procedures, a recent study published in Eye suggests.

This retrospective review included 74 patients—46 men and 28 women—who had surgery for macula-off RD. Participants had a VA recovery of zero logMAR. The study also included a control group of 82 subjects with comparable baseline characteristics but only partial VA recovery after vitrectomy for macula-off RD. Participants were about 65 years old and followed up approximately six months after surgery. The study noted that 68% were pseudophakic. The pre-op BCVA was two logMAR, and 58% had a preoperative BCVA equivalent of count fingers or less.

The majority of patients (91%) had a macular detachment for up to three days before surgery. In comparison, only 18% of the group with partial recovery of VA after vitrectomy had an operation within three days of macular detachment.

In 63% of the 40 cases in which researchers could interpret OCT of the fovea, imaging showed a retained foveal depression of the detached retina, while only 35% of the 46 control eyes with adequate OCT imaging showed a retained foveal depression.