Macular dysfunction in patients with macula-on rhegmatogenous retinal detachments

Aims To assess macular function in patients with macula-on rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RRDs) using focal macular electroretinography (FMERG). Methods This is a prospective, observational case series of 27 patients diagnosed with a macula-on RRD. Foveal attachment was confirmed on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Eyes with any macular disorder, cataract, vitreous opacity or vitreous haemorrhage were excluded. FMERG was recorded in the affected and fellow eyes using a round stimulus 15° in diameter. The status of four retinal factors in the affected eyes was examined, that is, the number of involved quadrants, number of quadrants with retinal breaks, presence of an RRD invading the vascular arcade, and presence of a giant retinal tear. The implicit time and amplitude of the a-wave, b-wave and oscillatory potentials (OPs) were compared between the affected and fellow eyes using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The influence of the four retinal factors on each FMERG component of the affected eyes was also evaluated using Mann-Whitney U  test and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results Significant reductions in the amplitudes of the a-waves (p=0.001), b-waves (p Conclusion Altered FMERG responses suggested the presence of macular dysfunction in eyes with macula-on RRDs.