Materials and Methods: 36 eyes of 18 patients were included on the condition that one eye had a partial retinal detachment with ophthalmoscopically attached macula and fellow normal eye. The patients ranged in age from 44 to 77 years mean 56.95±6.78 years. Patients with high miyopia (>6 D) and history of a previous ocular trauma or surgery were excluded. OCT sections of the macula were taken by OCT I (Zeiss &Humprey System OCT Aplications Version A5). Three macular OCT sections were taken from each eye, and total retinal thickness, partial neurosensory retinal thickness and photoreceptor outer segment thickness were measured.

Results: Excluding the hyporeflective zone corresponding to the photoreceptor outer segment, the measurement of the macular thickness of the partial neurosensory retina showed no significant difference between normal and detached eyes (p >0.05). Including the hyporeflective zone corresponding to the photorecetor outer segment , the measurement of the macular total retinal thickness showed significant difference (p<0.05). The macular hyporeflective zone corresponding to the photoreceptor outer segment, that signs out apposition of neurosensory retina and retina pigment epithelium, was significantly thicker in the eyes which macula on retinal detachment according to corresponding macular sites of the normal fellow eyes. Thus, in rhegmatogeneus retinal detachment, there was a change on apposition level of neurosensory retina and retina pigment epithelium at even ophthalmoscopically attached macula.

Conclusion: Even, with a seemingly attached macula, the underlying reason for visual alterations seen at rhegmatogeus retinal detachment could be a global retinal relaxation effect of the macula, as well. Keywords : Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, OCT, macula