Electroretinographic Changes Following Retinal Reattachment Surgery

PURPOSE: To explore functional visual recovery after retinal reattachment surgery employing full-field electroretinography (ffERG). METHODS: In this case series, scotopic and photopic ffERGs were compared 2 days before, and 1, 3 and 6 months after successful scleral buckling for total rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Main outcome measures were changes in ERG a-and b-wave amplitudes postoperatively. RESULTS: Twenty eyes of 20 patients including 14 male and 6 female subjects with mean age of 34.7±8.2 (range, 23 to 50) years were enrolled. Preoperatively, mean a-wave amplitude in the maximal combined response was 27.5±11.7 mV which was increased to 110.7±41.9 (P<0.001), 175.7±53.1 (p<0.001) and 174.6±51.4 (P<0.001) mV at 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. Mean preoperative a-wave amplitude of the cone ERG response was 2.1±0.8 mV, which was increased to 2.2±0.9 (P=0.03), 5.1±1.7 (P<0.001) and 5.3±1.6 (P<0.001) mV at 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. Mean preoperative b-wave amplitude in the maximal combined response was 97.6±28.9 mV which was increased to 179.2±44.9 (P<0.001), 264.2±56.3 (P<0.001) and 267.8±54.2 (P<0.001) mV at 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. Mean preoperative b-wave amplitude of the cone ERG response was 2.9±0.9 mV which was increased to 3±0.9 (P=0.32), 9.9±1.9 (P<0.001) and 9.8±1.9 (P<0.001) mV at 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: After retinal reattachment surgery, photoreceptor and visual function show parallel improvement. The scotopic ERG response recovered faster than the photopic response. Incomplete recovery of ERG parameters indicates that photoreceptor cell damage in retinal detachment is not completely reversible.