Optical coherence tomography and microperimetric changes ın macular edema before and after treatment

Purpose: To investigate optical coherence tomography and microperimetric changes in patients with macular edema before and after treatmentMaterial-Methods: 50 eyes of 37 patients who had macular edema due to different pathologies were included and studied propectively between June 2009-2011 in Cukurova University Ophthalmology Department. Best corrected visual acuity (logMar), full ophthalmological examination, foveal thickness measurements with OCT and retinal sensitivity, fixation patern measurements with microperimetry were noted before and after treatment at 1st, 3rd, 6th and 9th visit. The test score of microperimeter were also noted. Statistical analysis was performed.Results: Macular edema in 70% (n=35) of patients were due to diabetic macular edema, 16% (n=8) of patients were due to retinal vein branch occlusion and 14% (n=7) of patients were due to İrvine-Gass Syndrome. The mean logMar visual acuity values were 0.67±0.46 at baseline and 0.59±0.42 at 1st , 0.53±0.36 at 3rd , 0.55±0.40 at 6st , 0.49±0.36 at 9th visit. Mean values of foveal thickness were 362.2±156.0 µm at baseline and at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th visit were 315.5±147.1 µm, 287.0±137.5 µm, 264.2±145.3 µm 226.4±161.6. The mean retinal sensitivity values were 7.86±4.34 dB at baseline and at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th visit 10.17±3.42 dB, 10.86±3.58 dB, 10.4±3.55 dB, 11.94±3.15 dB. The mean test score values were 316.52±174.35 dB at baseline and at 1st, 3rd, 6th and 9th visit 412.68±148.55 dB, 439.7±142.48 dB, 442±144.5 dB, 493.84±118.68 dB. At baseline 58% of patients had stable, 32% of patients has relative unstable and 10% of patients had unstable fixation pattern. At the 9th visit after treatment the significant improvement was 20% in stable and 24% in relatively unstable group. Also the significant reduction was 6% in unstable group.Conclusion: All our patients had a significant improvement in all parameters such as visual acuity, retinal sensitivity, test score and foveal thickness. A significant improvement was also shown at fixation patten in most of our patients. The test score values were lower in patients who had recurrence of macular edema compared to no recurrent patient. This mean that the test score can help to estimate the recurrence of macular edeme at the baseline. There was a significant correlation between the test score and retinal sensitivity measurement in our study. This study mentioned the importance of combining microperimetric test score values with the other parameters in macular edema analysis.Keywords: Macular edema, microperimeter, fixation pattern, retinal sensitivity