Risk factors for the development of subretinal fluid in the fellow eyes of patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy

Abstract

Purpose

To assess the risk of subretinal fluid (SRF) development in the fellow eye of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (cCSC) patients with unilateral SRF at baseline.

Methods

Medical records of 334 presumed cCSC patients were retrospectively reviewed. Multimodal imaging was evaluated, and the available optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans were screened for SRF development in the fellow eye during follow-up.

Results

Of 213 confirmed cCSC cases, 74 (35%) had bilateral SRF at baseline. Among 102 patients with unilateral SRF that met all inclusion criteria, 7/102 (7%) developed SRF in the fellow eye over a mean follow-up of 20.4 months. Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) alterations in the fellow eye were present at baseline in 7/7 (100%) who developed SRF, compared to 59/95 (62%) in those who did not (p = 0.042). Subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was higher in the SRF-developing group (482.3 vs. 365.9 μm; p = 0.306), although not significantly. Hyperautofluorescence on fundus autofluorescence (FAF) at baseline occurred in 6/7 (86%) of the SRF-developing group versus 25/91 (28%) who did not (p = 0.004). The ellipsoid zone was interrupted in 5/7 (71%) of SRF-developing patients versus 28/95 (30%) who did not develop SRF (p = 0.005).

Conclusion

The risk of SRF development in the fellow eye of cCSC patients with unilateral SRF is relatively low over a follow-up period of almost 2 years. No statistically significant risk factors were identified after correction for multiple testing; however, certain trends were observed.