Correlation of foveal bulge on SD‐OCT and visual acuity in resolved macular edema associated with branch retinal vein occlusion

Abstract

PurposeTo investigate the correlation between the presence of a bulge in the photoreceptor inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) line and the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in eyes with resolved macular edema associated with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).MethodsA total of 17 eyes (17 patients) with macular edema associated with BRVO were evaluated. The medical records of patients who had a complete resolution of macular edema with intact IS/OS line in the central fovea on spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) images were retrospectively reviewed. These eyes were classified into those with foveal bulge and those without foveal bulge and the characteristics of the 2 groups were compared.ResultsTwelve eyes (70.5%) had complete resolution of macular edema after a mean follow up of 24.1 months. A foveal bulge was present in 9 of 17 eyes with resolved macular edema. The BCVA was significantly better in eyes with a foveal bulge than in eyes without foveal bulge (p < 0.001). All eyes with foveal bulge had a decimal BCVA less than 0.5 against only 28.6% in eyes without foveal bulge (p = 0.011).ConclusionsFoveal bulge seems to be frequent in resolved macular edema associated with BRVO. Visual acuity was significantly better in the subgroup with foveal bulge making it a potential good marker of the functional properties of the fovea.