The revival of an old term with optical coherence tomography: Bacillary layer detachment

Bacillary layer detachment (BALAD) is a relatively new optical coherence tomography (OCT) finding described by the utili-zation of OCT and characterized by the separation within the photoreceptor inner segment. The most common ocular diseases associated with BALAD include Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada’s disease, neovascular age-related macular degeneration, and central serous chorioretinopathy, and it is frequently observed in inflammatory, infectious, traumatic, and mass lesions of the choroid. It usually has a benign course and can resolve spontaneously or with treatment in a very short time, accompanied by an increase in visual acuity. However, its prognostic significance is still contradictory, as studies with long-term follow-up have shown that BALAD is related with subretinal fibrosis. In this review, the anatomical definition, multimodal imaging findings, course, and prognosis of BALAD in various ocular diseases are discussed. Abstract