Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) does not demonstrate the full extent of retinal displacement that is present following pars plana vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair and reveals only the “tip of the iceberg”, according to a study presented at the 22nd EURETINA Congress.
“Furthermore, although FAF detects the presence of retinal displacement with excellent specificity, some cases with true retinal displacement could be missed on FAF,” said Koby Brosh MD, Shaare Zedek Medical Centre, Israel. “This likely explains the variability in the rate of detection of retinal displacement across studies in the scientific literature,” he added.
When available, overlay of pre-RRD & post-RRD repair infrared (IR) images generated by OCT provides a better assessment of retinal displacement, said Dr Brosh.
“This novel image processing algorithm may facilitate our understanding of retinal displacement, including techniques to minimize it and the association with functional outcomes,” he said.
Dr Brosh’s retrospective comparative study included 15 eyes with infrared (IR) images available before the occurrence of RRD and after RRD repair. Retinal displacement was detected by two independent graders in 7 out of 15 cases (46%) of FAF images and in 100% of IR overlay images respectively.
Going forward, Dr Brosh suggested that further studies may utilize the overlay technique to try to establish a better approach to minimising retinal displacement.
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