Retinal detachment in marfan syndrome

Purpose: To report postsurgical findings in patients with Marfan syndrome and retinal detachment (RD). Methods: The authors identified and retrospectively reviewed the charts of one cohort of 12 patients (15 eyes) with Marfan syndrome and RD who were operated on at the Wilmer Institute and a second cohort of 16 such patients (24 eyes) who were operated several years earlier and elsewhere. Results: First cohort - Final visual acuity (VA) was 20/80 or better and the retina was flat in all five phakic eyes (100%). The RD occurred after the eye had undergone lens removal in 10 eyes, 6 of which (60%) had a final VA of 20/80 or better, and 9 of which (90%) had a final VA of 5/200 or better (P = 0.20). Second cohort -The final VA was 20/80 or better and the retina was flat in 6 of the 7 phakic eyes (86%). Among 17 aphakic or pseudophakic eyes, only 5 (29%) had a flat retina and VA of 20/80 or better, whereas 12 (71%) had no light perception (P = 0.03). Conclusions: The results of RD operations done in the past in Marfan patients were worse when the eye was aphakic. In most cases operated more recently, the prognosis for successful RD repair was good regardless of whether the eye was phakic.