Título / Title

VALSALVA RETINOPATHY: CASE REPORT

Introdução / Purpose

The purpose of this study is to report three cases and discuss the topics.

Material e Método / Methods

Report of 03 cases of pre-retinal hemorrhages treated with laser hyaloidotomy. CASE 1 - R.P.C., 40 years old, male. Sudden visual loss after coughing. Visual acuity (VA) OD: counts fingers at 1 meter; OS: 20/20. Ophthalmoscopy OD: pre-retinal hemorrhage, with upper liquid level. Performed hyalodotomy with argon laser; OS: no changes. VA OD immediately after laser: 20/80; 1 month after: 20/20. CASE 2 - L.R.C.S., 26 years old, female, pregnant. After vomiting, she had a sudden visual low OD. VA OD: 20/400; OS: 20/20. Ophthalmoscopy OD: pre-retinal hemorrhage, cupuliform, with upper perifoveal fluid level; OS: no changes. On the same day, an argon laser was performed, resulting in drainage of blood into the vitreous cavity. After 1 month, VA OD: 20/30, with a new peripapillary pre-retinal haemorrhage with spontaneous drainage to the vitreous cavity. CASE 3 - C.A.L.S., 24 years old, male. Low visual OS after vomit episode. VA OD: 20/20 and OS: 20/200. Ophthalmoscopy OD: no changes; OS: pre-retinal hemorrhage with pre-macular upper fluid level. Performed Nd: yag laser OS. After 1 month, VA OS: 20/20.

Resultados / Results

The laser photodisruption (argon or Nd: yag) of the posterior hyaloid with drainage of blood into the vitreous cavity proved to be an effective technique for the treatment of pre-retinal hemorrhages in the 03 cases.

Discussão e Conclusões / Conclusion

Valsalva retinopathy is a disease which presents with sudden visual loss, caused by a sudden rise in intrathoracic or intra-abdominal pressure against closed glottis that may cause a rapid increase in venous pressure in the eye leading to spontaneous rupture of perifoveal retinal capillaries. Laser hyaloidotomy can be appreciated to be an effective and a safe outpatient procedure for the treatment of pre-macular subhyaloid hemorrhage with restoration of visual function.

Palavras Chave

Valsalva retinopathy; pre-retinal haemorrhage; laser photodisruption; hyaloidotomy.