Effects of timing of vitrectomy performed for open-globe injury patients on the thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of timing of vitrectomy performed for open-globe injury patients on the thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). METHODS: A total of 120 patients with traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) were selected and divided into a treatment group and a control group by random draw (n=60). Vitrectomy was performed within one week upon injury for treatment group and after one week for control group. The thickness of RNFL was observed by optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: All surgeries were conducted successfully, without severe complications. The best corrected visual acuity of treatment group surpassed that of control group one month after surgery, and treatment group had an obviously higher overall effective rate (95.0%) than control group did (81.7%). The incidence rate of postoperative complications in treatment group (6.7%) was significantly lower than that of control group (28.3%) (P<0.05). Logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that vitrectomy timing and postoperative complications were independent risk factors of prognosis (P<0.05). Both groups had significantly thinner RNFLs one week after surgery (P<0.05), and treatment group almost recovered within one month (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Early vitrectomy effectively augmented the visual acuity of patients with TON, decreased complications, affected RNFL thickness reversibly, and improved prognosis.