Validity of the Watzke-Allen test after a surgery for idiopathic full thickness macular hole.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the role and validity of the Watzke-Allen test in following up patients after surgeries for an idiopathic full-thickness macular hole (FTMH).


METHODS
A prospective interventional analytical study


METHODS
Patients with idiopathic FTMH were consecutively recruited. A comparative analysis between preoperative and post operative visual acuity, macular hole status and Watzke-Allen slit beam test results was performed using a Chi-square test and a random intercept mixed model.


RESULTS
Twenty-one patients with an average age of 65.90 +/- 6.05 years were included in the present study. Three months after surgery, macular holes were surgically closed in 13 eyes (61.9%) and still open in eight eyes (38.1%). An improvement in metamorphopsia, according to Watzke-Allen test results, was found in 61.53% of patients with closed holes and 87.5% of those with open holes. There was no statistically significant correlation between the Watzke-Allen test and the restorative status of a macular hole post surgery


CONCLUSIONS
The Watzke-Allen test is a useful subjective assessment of visual function for diagnosis in patients with idiopathic FTMH. However the test is not beneficial in the post operative follow-up of patients.
Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand.
Saowanit
S
Saetang
Patama
P
Bhurayanontachai
Mansing
M
Ratanasukon
Pichai
P
Jirarattanasopa
D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014792:Visual Acuity