2Sağlık Bakanlığı Ankara Ulucanlar Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Klinik Şefi, Ankara Purpose : To examine the fellow eyes of cases with retinal detachment to detect peripheral retinal degenerations and other risk factors which may cause retinal detachment and to determine the effectiveness of prophylactic laser photocoagulation.
Materials and Methods: 43 eyes of 43 patients with retinal detachment were included between 1999 and 2004. Seven (16.3%) of the 43 eyes with retinal detachment were pseudophakic, 9 (20.9%) had degenerative myopia. One (2.3%) eye had retinal detachment due to trauma whereas, 26 (60.5%) had due to various peripheral retinal degenerations. Six (13.9%) of the fellow eyes were pseudophakic, 1 (2.3%) was aphakic and 36 (83.8%) had degenerative myopia. In fundus examination with Goldmann triple-mirror contact lens lattice degeneration was detected in 11 eyes (25.6%), retinal hole was detected in 6 eyes (13.9%), and retinal tear was detected in 5 (11.6%). No peripheral retinal degeneration predisposing retinal detachment was found in remaining 21 eyes (48.8%). Two rows of prophylactic Argon laser photocoagulation was applied around the retinal tears and equatorially in 360 degrees to all fellow eyes.
Results: The patients were followed between one month and 5 years ( average:30.5 months). During the follow-up time no retinal detachment was detected in eyes with or without peripheral retinal degeneration and no additional laser photocoagulation was required. Retinal tear was detected in one eye (2.3%) in the lattice degeneration area just beyond the photocoagulation scar.
Conclusion: Argon laser photocoagulation seems to be effective in prophylaxis of retinal detachment in the fellow eyes of retinal detachment cases.
Keywords : The fellow eye in retinal detachment, prophylactic laser photocoagulation, peripheral retinal degeneration