Macular hole formation and spontaneous closure after vitrectomy for central retinal vein occlusion

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose was to describe the formation and spontaneous closure of an iatrogenic macular hole after vitrectomy for central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).

Methods: A 45-year-old woman presented with loss of vision in the right eye due to CRVO. The left eye was normal. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 3/60 in the right eye and 6/6 in the left. She underwent vitrectomy and radial optic neurotomy (RON) in the right eye. Fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed pre-operatively, on the first post-operative day, and subsequently at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months.

Results: There were no intra-operative complications. On the first post-operative day, fundus examination of the right eye revealed a small macular hole, confirmed by OCT. No additional intervention was carried out. Examination after a month revealed clearing of retinal haemorrhages, resolution of macular oedema and spontaneous closure of the macular hole. The closure was maintained until the last follow-up a year later. BCVA improved to 6/24 by 3 months, and was stable over the follow-up period. The left eye remained unchanged.

Conclusion: While performing vitrectomy for CRVO, the induction of posterior vitreous detachment may deroof a foveal cyst in the highly oedematous macula to form a macular hole. A small macular hole, however, may close spontaneously without further intervention.