Nd:YAG laser ablation of internal limiting membrane to treat myopic macular retinoschisis: Case series.

Abstract

Purpose; To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Nd:YAG laser ablation of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) to treat myopic macular retinoschisis (MRS).Methods; Four patients with myopic MRS that extended out of the macular area were studied. All patients underwent YAG laser ablation of the detached ILM in the paramacular area, and the eyes were examined by ultra-widefield OCT at the baseline and 6 months after the treatment. The measured outcomes were the foveal retinal thickness and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA).Results; Nd:YAG laser was applied to the paramacular ILM in all 4 eyes. In each eye, the procedure failed to disrupt the ILM, and no significant changes were observed in foveal retinal thickness or BCVA subsequently. No serious adverse event occurred in all eyes. A transient intraretinal hemorrhage developed at the site of the application in 2 eyes but resolved within a week after the treatment.Conclusion; Nd:YAG laser was applied to ILM in the peripheral macula in eyes with myopic MRS. However, the lack of a reduction of the foveal thickness and improvement of the BCVA indicate that accurate focusing system is needed to treat eyes with myopic MRS.