Clinical observations and considerations in the treatment of Terson syndrome using 23G vitrectomy.

Purpose: This retrospective study analyzed the results of 23G vitrectomy for the treatment of intraocular hemorrhage in patients with Terson syndrome. The pathogenesis of Terson syndrome and the timing of vitrectomy are discussed.

Methods: Eight eyes of eight patients were included in the study. Intrasurgical images were acquired, and membranes peeled off during surgery were subjected to pathological staining. Postoperative examination included visual acuity, intraocular pressure, funduscopy, and optical coherence tomography angiography.

Results: The course of visual impairment in the patients ranged from < 1 to 5 months; visual acuity ranged from light perception to 20/1000. Surgeries in the eight patients were all successful, and no severe complications were observed. Visual acuity improved in each operative eye. Pathological staining revealed only fibrous connective tissue, and no nerve fibers in the membranes peeled off during surgery. Optical coherence tomography angiography revealed no changes in blood vessel density in the inner layer of the retina of the operative eye compared with the non-operative eye in each patient.

Conclusions: Timely surgical intervention is necessary for the treatment of intraocular hemorrhage in patients with Terson syndrome. Clinical findings support the theory that intraocular blood results from stasis or rupture of retinal superficial peripapillary vessels caused by elevated intracranial pressure.