The natural history of tractional cystoid macular edema.
BACKGROUND
To describe clinical outcomes in a series of patients with tractional cystoid macular edema, a variant of vitreomacular traction syndrome.


METHODS
Twelve consecutive patients (15 eyes) with tractional cystoid macular edema of maximum diameter of ≤550 μm and presenting corrected-distance visual acuity of ≤0.3 (Snellen ≥20/40) were studied. Each patient underwent ophthalmic examination, including visual acuity testing in the logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution system, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and optical coherence tomography. All patients were monitored at four-monthly intervals, unless a subjective change in symptoms prompted earlier follow-up.


RESULTS
The mean corrected-distance visual acuity (±standard deviation) at presentation was 0.17 (Snellen 20/30) (±0.17). The mean (±standard deviation) maximum diameter of vitreofoveolar adhesion was 267 (±139) μm. After a mean follow-up of 9.2 (±7.4) months, 8 eyes exhibited spontaneous and complete posterior vitreous detachment, with resolution of the tractional cystoid macular edema and restoration of normal foveal anatomy in 6 of these eyes and persistence of a single foveal cyst in 2 of these eyes. The final corrected-distance visual acuity (±standard deviation) in the 5 eyes that underwent spontaneous and complete posterior vitreous detachment improved from 0.20 (Snellen 20/32) (±0.13) to 0.16 (Snellen 6/8) (±0.12; P = 0.53).


CONCLUSIONS
Complete posterior vitreous detachment occurred spontaneously in 53% of eyes with tractional cystoid macular edema in this series.
Institute of Eye Surgery and Institute of Vision Research, Whitfield Clinic, Waterford, Ireland. sonia.sofia1@gmail.com
Sofia
S
Charalampidou
John
J
Nolan
Stephen
S
Beatty
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D033401:Microscopy, Acoustic; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D020255:Vitreous Detachment / Q000503:physiopathology*