Objective: To report a novel surgical procedure to displace retained subfoveal perfluorocarbon liquid (PFCL).Methods: Retrospective cases series. Three patients had retained subfoveal droplets after PFCL was used in vitrectomy repair of retinal detachment. In each case, submacular PFCL was displaced to the subretinal space in the inferior periphery. A retinal detachment at the posterior pole and the inferior periphery was created by injecting balanced salt solution through a retinal puncture near the inferotemporal vessels. Fluid-air exchange was performed, followed by short-term postoperative upright head positioning.Results: In all cases, PFCL droplets were successfully displaced toward the inferior periphery, with good visual recovery. Conclusion:This procedure seems to be safe and is an alternative to direct aspiration of PFCL through a juxtafoveal retinotomy, which risks damage to the foveal region.

ABSTRACT.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand clinical significance of near-infrared reflectance (NIR), blue fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and nearinfrared autofluorescence (NIA) in dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), by correlation with fluorescein angiography (FA) and cross-sectional spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT). Methods: We evaluated 110 eyes (62 patients, mean age: 64 ± 8 years) diagnosed with dry AMD between January 2010 and December 2010, which underwent NIR (k = 830 nm), FAF and FA (excitation k = 488 nm; emission k > 500 nm), NIA (excitation k = 787 nm; emission k > 800 nm), and simultaneous SD OCT scanning using a combined confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope ⁄ SD OCT device (Spectralis HRA + OCT; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). Results: Drusen showed variable increased ⁄ decreased NIR, FAF, NIA and FA, which corresponded to variable increased ⁄ decreased thickness of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and possible presence of subretinal deposits on SD OCT. Geographic atrophy (GA) was present in 43 ⁄ 110 eyes (39.0%) and showed increased NIR and fluorescence (FA), absent FAF and NIA, and loss of RPE on SD OCT. The hyperautofluorescence of the GA margin was never larger in FAF than that in NIA, while in 16.2% of cases, it was larger in NIA than that in FAF and corresponded to mild choroidal hyperreflectivity on SD OCT. Conclusions: Simultaneous recording of SD OCT scans provided ultrastructural data for the evaluation of NIR, FAF, NIA and FA in dry AMD. Near-infrared autofluorescence might detect earlier than FAF areas of RPE cell loss at the GA margin.

Purpose To assess the 1-year functional outcome and to evaluate the morphological changes after intravitreal injections of ranibizumab in eyes affected with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods A prospective, non-randomized, interventional study was conducted on 26 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed RAP. All eyes were treatment naive and were randomized to receive intravitreal injections of ranibizumab for a 12-month period. After the first three monthly injections, re-treatment was performed in case of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) loss of at least five letters associated with fluid within the macula, central macular thickness (CMT) increase of at least 100 lm, and/or persistence of fluid within the macula as evaluated by optical coherence tomography, new onset macular haemorrhages, persistence of leakage from the lesions on fluorescein angiography. Results All patients completed the 12-month follow-up: 25 of the 29 treated eyes (86.2%) were stabilized, with a loss of less than 15 letters. Nineteen eyes (65.5%) maintained or improved their BCVA, and three eyes (10.3%) gained three lines or more. Overall, mean BCVA remained stable at the 12-month follow-up (À0.07 letters; P40.05). Mean CMT significantly decreased from 386 ± 147 to 216 ± 74 lm at the 12-month follow-up. No significant adverse events were observed during the study. The mean number of injections was 5.8±1.7 during the follow-up period. Conclusion The 1-year follow-up outcomes in our series suggest that ranibizumab is an effective treatment for RAP in AMD, allowing stabilization of BCVA and reduction of CMT.