To determine differences in postoperative pupil diameter in eyes that undergo pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) with endolaser retinopexy (ELR), comparing 360° vs focal ELR.
Patients with uncomplicated RRD who underwent PPV were prospectively analysed regarding the postoperative pupil diameter difference (PDD) between the affected eye and the partner eye. Group 1 underwent 360° ELR and group 2 received focal ELR. Postoperative vision and complications, including redetachment rate, macular oedema and epiretinal membrane formation, were also compared.
A total of 72 patients, 42 in group 1 and 30 in group 2, were analysed. PDD, as observed at 6 weeks, was significantly greater than the preoperative values in both groups 1 and 2. It increased by a mean of 1±1.11 mm in group 1 and by 0.5±0.78 in group 2. This initial increase in PDD receded over time, but remained statistically significant in both groups, even at 6 months. The top 20% of patients with the largest PDD change comprised 13 out of 15 eyes from group 1, which was a statistically significant overrepresentation (p=0.0435).