Systemic Steroid Therapy for Serous Retinal Detachment Caused by Excessive Endolaser during Diabetic Retinopathy Surgery

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report cases of macular serous retinal detachment caused by excessive intraoperative endolaser in patients with diabetic vitreous hemorrhage. Macular serous retinal detachment was improved by systemic steroid therapy. CASE SUMMARY: A 64-year-old male (case 1) and a 67-year-old female (case 2) treated with vitrectomy and endolaser (case 1, 3,184 shots; case 2, 1,734 shots) because of diabetic vitreous hemorrhage visited our out-patient clinic with blurred vision. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in case 1 was hand motion and 0.03 in case 2. Fundus examination and optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed extensive subretinal fluid accumulation of the posterior pole. With the diagnosis of macular serous retinal detachment caused by excessive intraoperative endoaser, oral steroid (40 mg/qd, 5 days) was administered and then later reduced in case 1. In case 2, we administered intravenous high-dose steroid (250 mg/qid, 3 days). After systemic steroid therapy, BCVA was improved to 20/30 in case 1 and 20/40 in case 2 and OCT showed the subretinal fluid was resolved. CONCLUSIONS: During diabetic retinopathy surgery, excessive endolaser induced macular serous retinal detachment and systemic steroid therapy was necessary in diabetic patients. Thus, physicians should be well acquainted with this complication.