NEODYMIUM-DOPED YTTRIUM ALUMINUM GARNET LASER ABLATION OF INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE TO TREAT MYOPIC MACULAR RETINOSCHISIS: CASE SERIES.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser ablation of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) to treat myopic macular retinoschisis.

METHODS

Four patients with myopic myopic macular retinoschisis that extended out of the macular area were studied. All patients underwent yttrium aluminum garnet laser ablation of the detached ILM in the paramacular area, and the eyes were examined by ultra-widefield optical coherence tomography at the baseline and 6 months after the treatment. The measured outcomes were the foveal retinal thickness and the best-corrected visual acuity.

RESULTS

Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser was applied to the paramacular ILM in all four eyes. In each eye, the procedure failed to disrupt the ILM, and no significant changes were observed in foveal retinal thickness or best-corrected visual acuity subsequently. No serious adverse event occurred in all eyes. A transient intraretinal hemorrhage developed at the site of the application in two eyes but resolved within a week after the treatment.

CONCLUSION

Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser was applied to ILM in the peripheral macula in eyes with myopic macular retinoschisis. However, the lack of a reduction of the foveal thickness and improvement of the best-corrected visual acuity indicate that accurate focusing system is needed to treat eyes with myopic macular retinoschisis.