Optical coherence tomography in optic pit and associated maculopathy

Background. Of patients with an optic pit 30% develop an associated maculopathy of unknown origin. We report on 8 patients with an optic pit and associated maculopathy evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT) for detection of structural retinal changes and indications for the pathogenesis. Patients and methods. A total of 8 patients (mean age 25 years) suffering from an optic pit and associated maculopathy were evaluated by biomicroscopy, fluorescein angiography (FLA) and OCT and the results were compared. Results. Visual acuity was on average 0.5 (0.05-0.8). Funduscopy revealed a macular elevation. in clinically suspected 'pseudo' macular hole, OCT revealed foveal schisis. OCT demonstrated a retinal detachment with a typical convex schisis of the outer retinal layer n=6), and three patients showed a neurosensory detachment with (n=2) and without (n=1) intraretinal cystoid formation. Conclusion. The typical macular schisis pattern in OCT in optic pit with serous maculopathy helps to differentiate this condition from other macular elevations.