External drainage for exudative retinal detachment secondary to central serous chorioretinopathy.

Background: To report the outcomes of external drainage of subretinal fluid (SRF) in exudative retinal detachment secondary to central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR).

Methods: Retrospective observational analysis of six eyes with exudative retinal detachment secondary to CSCR who underwent external drainage of SRF between 2004 and 2014 was performed. Collected data included demographics, steroid usage, surgical details, and visual acuity preoperatively and postoperative visual acuity and clinical examination data were collected.

Results: Six eyes of six subjects were included with mean age of 45 years (range, 32 to 61 years). All subjects were male. Mean duration of symptoms was 4.6 months (range, 3 to 8 months). The pre-operative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ranged from perception of light to 20/60. Four eyes were treated with conventional external drainage and two underwent Chandelier-assisted external drainage. Three cases had laser treatment before drainage and one case underwent photodynamic therapy (PDT) after drainage. The BCVA at last follow-up ranged from 20/2,000 (counting fingers at 2 feet) to 20/20. No recurrences were noted in any of the cases till the last follow-up. Mean duration of follow-up was 38 months.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrates successful management of exudative retinal detachment secondary to CSCR with external SRF drainage without any complications.