Time to Resolution of Outer Retinal Folds following Pars Plana Vitrectomy for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Using En Face Optical Coherence Tomography

INTRODUCTION: Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (rRD) can cause irreversible damage to the outer retina, leading to loss of visual acuity despite successful surgery. Postoperative complications, such as retinal folds, particularly macular outer retinal folds (mORFs), can affect vision with distortions and visual field defects when the macula is involved. METHODS: Our study was conducted to assess the time to resolution of mORFs after rRD repair through pars plana vitrectomy. ORFs are characterized as vertical hyperreflective lesions on SD-OCT, whereas on en face SD-OCT they appear as single or multiple linear or curvilinear hyperreflective bands surrounded by a hyporeflective halo. The study included 26 non-consecutive patients with mORFs observed via SD-OCT after surgery. RESULTS: The mean time for mORFs resolution was 3.7 months, with all mORFs fully absorbed within 6 months. Factors such as mORFs length influenced resorption speed, but no significant association with other variables (e.g., tamponade agent or retinotomy) was found. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that mORFs after rRD surgery generally resolve without requiring additional interventions and that precise monitoring using SD-OCT is essential for tracking their resolution.