Tear of Retinal Pigment Epithelium following YAG Laser Posterior Capsulotomy in a Patient on Anti-VEGF Treatment for AMD:Six Months’ Follow-Up

• Main Authors: Athanasios Vardarinos, Theodoros Empeslidis, Kumar Periysamy, Nardine Menassa, Fatema Shahid, Shamreen Uppal, James Deane
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Karger Publishers 2012-06-01
• Series: Case Reports in Ophthalmology
• Subjects: Retinal pigment epithelium tear; YAG Laser; Age-related macular degeneration; Pigment epithelial detachment rupture; Ranibizumab
• Online Access: http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/339856

Purpose: To present a rare case of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) rupture following YAG laser posterior capsulotomy (YAG PC) in a patient with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Materials and Methods: An 85-year-old pseudophakic male patient on ranibizumab 0.5 mg/0.05 ml treatment due to exudative AMD received YAG PC for dense posterior capsule opacification (PCO) in his right eye. The patient had received his last intravitreal ranibizumab injection 3 months before YAG PC; his macula appeared stable on fundoscopy and optical coherence tomography scans at repeated visits, but his vision deteriorated to counting fingers due to PCO. Results: Following left eye posterior YAG PC, his best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved to 6/12 (Snellen chart). Despite satisfactory visual results, the patient developed a parafoveal inferotemporal RPE rupture. A decision for further treatment with ranibizumab (0.5 mg/0.05 ml) intravitreal injections was made. After a total of 7 injections, the patient was clinically stable and his BCVA was 6/18 (Snellen chart). Conclusions: RPE rupture is a well-known, serious complication in patients with exudative AMD, which often has devastating results on patients’ vision. Offering YAG PC to those patients could lead to a rupture of the RPE even in cases which appear to be stable and well controlled. Clinicians should be aware of this complication and inform the patients accordingly.