Laser Prophylaxis in Patients with Stickler Syndrome

Purpose: To evaluate the association among laser prophylaxis treatment, retinal detachment (RD), and visual acuity (VA) in patients with Stickler syndrome (SS).

Design: Retrospective comparative case series.

Participants: Patients with SS.

Methods: Patients received extended vitreous base laser (EVBL), nonprotocol laser (NPL), or no laser prophylaxis treatment of any kind.

Main outcome measures: The 2 main outcome measures that were examined in these patients were rates of RD and VA.

Results: In this study, 230 eyes of 115 patients were included. Fifty-nine patients were women (51%). The median age at the time of laser prophylaxis treatment was 9.5 years (interquartile range [IQR], 6-13 years), and the median age of patients with RD was 11 years (IQR, 7-18 years). Of the 230 eyes, 92 did not undergo any laser treatment, 9 received NPL treatment, and 129 received EVBL treatment. Of the 129 eyes that underwent EVBL treatment, 4 (3%) had RD, compared with 74 eyes (73%) that had RD and did not receive laser or NPL treatment (P < 0.001). Eyes that received EVBL treatment had approximately 8 lines better vision, on average, compared with those that did not receive laser or NPL treatment (-0.86 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution; 95% confidence interval,-1.1 to -0.64; P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Treatment with EVBL seems to reduce the rate of subsequent RD and is associated with better VA in patients with SS.