title: Retinal pigment epithelial tear involving the fovea with preserved visual function.
abstract: Tears of the retinal pigment epithelium are known to occur either spontaneously or after laser photocoagulation in eyes with retinal pigment epithelium detachment. A 65-year-old man with preexisting retinal pigment epithelium detachment developed a retinal pigment epithelium tear after dye laser retinal photocoagulation. The tear gradually expanded to involve the fovea, but his best-corrected visual acuity remained 0.7 in the left eye during 20 months. Optical coherence tomography showed a defect of the retinal pigment epithelium with absence of regeneration. Scanning laser ophthalmoscopy revealed his fixation approached intact retinal pigment epithelium, but was still beneath the fovea. This case may indicate that the retinal pigment epithelium directly beneath the central macula is not essential for maintenance of the overlying foveal function under some conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthamology, Hiroshima Memorial Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshitani
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katsura
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minamoto
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsumura
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Haruyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hasebe
authors.forename: Hiromu K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Mishima
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007368:Interferometry; D017075:Laser Coagulation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000473:pathology*; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000601:surgery; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014054:Tomography / Q000379:methods; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*