THE BELGIAN OPHTHALMIC ASSOCIATIONS
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This abstract is assigned to session AOB Free Papers 1
| Presentation type | Oral presentation |
| Title | Early management of vitreous hemorrhage : clinical experience of the University Hospital of Liege |
| Purpose | Vitreous hemorrhage causes sudden, severe vision loss and may require urgent vitrectomy. Standard management relies on watchful waiting with ultrasound follow-up every 3 weeks, risking retinal detachment before an underlying tear is found. We report outcomes of early surgical management at the University Hospital of Liege. |
| Methods | Retrospective review of patients who underwent early vitrectomy for vitreous hemorrhage (2017-2024) at a single center. Patients with trauma, known treated proliferative retinopathy, or retinal detachment at presentation were excluded. Phakic patients had combined cataract surgery with a dual-capsule implant (Morcher 89F). Tears were treated with endolaser and air/SF6 tamponade. Visual acuities were converted to logMAR for statistical analysis. |
| Results | 76 patients were included (mean age 66±14y, 59% male), followed ≥3 months. Retinal tears caused 47% of hemorrhages, diabetic retinopathy 21% (younger patients, 52.5y), and AMD 11% (older patients, 82y). Preoperative visual acuity was very poor (2.31±0.70 logMAR, ~1/200) and improved significantly postoperatively (0.35±0.5 logMAR, p<0.00001, ~5/10), reaching 7-8/10 with tears. No proliferative vitreoretinopathy or postoperative retinal detachment occurred; main complication was transient hypertony (12%). |
| Conclusion | Dense vitreous hemorrhage is a serious cause of vision loss, as nearly half of cases originate from retinal tears. Early surgery achieves faster recovery than natural evolution and prevents more severe forms of retinal detachment (detached macula / contracted retina). Combining cataract surgery with vitrectomy allows complete peripheral clearing and tear detection, with a low complication rate. |
| Conflict of interest | No |
Authors 1
| Last name | RAKIC |
| Initials | N |
| Department | CHU de Liège |
| City | Liège |
Authors 2
| Last name | Van Cauwenberge |
| Initials | F |
| Department | CHU de Liège |
| City | Liège |
Authors 3
| Last name | Georges |
| Initials | A |
| Department | CHU de Liège |
| City | Liège |
Authors 4
| Last name | Rakic |
| Initials | JM |
| Department | CHU de Liège |
| City | Liège |