Purpose: To determine whether vitreoretinal surgery to release anterior traction in eyes with chronic hypotony and attached posterior retinas increases the intraocular pressure and prevents atrophia bulbi.
Methods: In this prospective study, we operated on and followed-up postoperatively 17 eyes of 17 consecutive patients with previous vitreoretinal surgeries for retinal detachments and severe proliferative vitreoretinopathy. These eyes had developed chronic hypotony (intraocular pressure < or = 5 mm Hg for at least one month) and anterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy.
Results: After a minimum of six months of postoperative follow-up (mean, 10.6 months), mean intraocular pressure had increased significantly after surgery from 1.7 to 7.2 mm Hg (P < .001), and ten (59%) of the 17 eyes had a final intraocular pressure greater than 5 mm Hg. Visual acuity did not change significantly after surgery (P = .25). In 13 (76%) of the 17 eyes, visual acuity improved or remained the same. Factors associated with higher postoperative intraocular pressure included hypotony of less than three months' duration (P = .007), preoperative visual acuity of 2/200 or more (P = .02), extent of anterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy of less than 90 degrees (P = .003), absence of tissue over the pars plicata (P = .001), and no anterior reproliferation after surgery (P = .04).
Conclusions: Early surgery to release traction over the anterior retina and uveal tissue in eyes with chronic hypotony and anterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy can increase intraocular pressure and stabilize visual acuity.