Peripheral visual field defects after macular hole surgery: a complication with decreasing incidence

• Published in: British journal of ophthalmology Vol. 85; no. 5; pp. 549 - 551
• Main Authors: Gass, Carolin A, Haritoglou, Christos, Messmer, Elisabeth M, Schaumberger, Markus, Kampik, Anselm
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JR BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.05.2001; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Air flow; Automobile driving; Biological and medical sciences; Defects; Diabetic retinopathy; Eye; Female; field defects; Glaucoma; Humans; Hypotheses; macular hole surgery; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Optic nerve; Pathogenesis; Patients; Peripheral vision; Physiological aspects; Postoperative Complications - physiopathology; Prospective Studies; Retina; Retinal Perforations - classification; Retinal Perforations - surgery; Scientific Correspondence; Scotoma - etiology; Scotoma - physiopathology; Surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the eye and orbit; Surgical techniques; Visual Field Tests; Visual Fields - physiology; Vitrectomy - methods; United Kingdom; Human; Postoperative; Retinopathy; Iatrogenic; Visual field; Deficiency; Idiopathic; Maculopathy; Incidence; Eye disease; Macular hole; Treatment; Visual field disease; Surgery; Complication; Vitrectomy
• ISSN: 0007-1161; 1468-2079
• DOI: 10.1136/bjo.85.5.549

AIM To prospectively evaluate peripheral visual fields after vitrectomy for idiopathic macular holes. METHODS Goldmann perimetry was performed in 105 patients before, as well as 6 weeks and 12 months after macular hole surgery. RESULTS Only one patient (<1%) with a stage III macular hole developed an asymptomatic postoperative visual field defect. The scotoma was wedge-shaped, peripherally located in the temporal quadrant, and remained unchanged during the following 12 months. CONCLUSION Peripheral visual field defects after macular hole surgery can be a complication of very low incidence. A rather low pressure set during air-fluid exchange as well as special aspects of the surgical technique may be responsible for this low incidence of peripheral visual field defects.