Pars plana vitrectomy for cystoid macular edema secondary to sarcoid uveitis.

Objective: To examine the results of pars plana vitrectomy for cystoid macular edema secondary to sarcoid uveitis resistant to medical treatment.

Methods: Retrospective, interventional, noncomparative case series. Methods: Fourteen consecutive subjects (18 eyes) with cystoid macular edema associated with sarcoid uveitis resistant to medical treatment. Methods: All eyes underwent pars plana vitrectomy. Nine eyes also underwent peeling of the epiretinal membrane or removal of the posterior vitreous cortex. Methods: Status of macular edema, visual acuity, and complications.

Results: Ten eyes (56%) improved 2 or more lines of Snellen visual acuity within 12 months. Six eyes (33%) remained unchanged, within a line of preoperative Snellen visual acuity, and two eyes (11%) worsened by 2 or more lines of Snellen visual acuity. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy showed that cystoid macular edema had resolved in 14 eyes (78%) within 9 months postoperatively. One eye (6%) had minimal edema, whereas three eyes (17%) remained unchanged biomicroscopically at the final visit. Postoperative complications included cataract formation, glaucoma, optic nerve atrophy, epiretinal membrane formation, and tractional retinal detachment. No severe postoperative inflammation was noted.

Conclusions: Pars plana vitrectomy seems to have a beneficial effect on cystoid macular edema caused by sarcoidosis resistant to medical treatment.