causes and results of vitrectomy for spontaneous non-diabetic vitreous hemorrhage

purpose: to determine the visual and anatomical outcomes and complications of vitrectomy for non-traumatic non-diabetic vitreous hemorrhage (ndvh) and to report the causes of the condition among patients at labbafinejad medical center, tehran-iran, from 1993 to 2003. method: records of patients who underwent vitrectomy for non-traumatic ndvh with 6 months follow up were reviewed for demographic characteristics, causes of ndvh and results of surgery. results: fifty eyes (54.2% right eyes) of 49 patients (51% male) with mean age of 62.7±10.3 years were enrolled in the study. mean visual acuity (va) was 2.36±0.52 logmar and relative afferent pupillary defect (rapd) was positive in 91.7% of the eyes, preoperatively. causes of non-traumatic ndvh detected intraoperatively were: branch retinal vein occlusion (56%), central retinal vein occlusion (16%), choroidal neovascularization (12%), and posterior vitreous detachment with break, eales disease, familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, and terson syndrome (each in 4%). mean va increased significantly at 6th month (1.38±0.72 logmar) compared to preoperative value. (p<0.0001) the most common causes of decreased va were: macular pigmentary derangement (26%), optic atrophy (16%), severe lens opacity (12%), and epiretinal membrane (8%). conclusion: despite the statistically significant increase in mean va following vitrectomy, underlying macular pathology limits significant improvement of central va in most cases of non-traumatic ndvh.