Abstract
Purpose: To report the successful treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with Harada's disease by surgical resection of subretinal fibrous strands blocking retinal reattachment.Case report: A 63-year-old man presented to another hospital with binocular hyperemia. As binocular vitreous bodies, predominantly in the right eye, were opacified, he was diagnosed with uveitis, and systemic medical evaluation revealed that Harada’s disease underlay the ocular condition. After a sub-Tenon injection of triamcinolone to the right eye, intraocular visibility improved and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment was found. Seven days after vitreous surgery, retinal detachment recurred. As additional surgery was unsuccessful due to wrinkles of the retina, the patient was referred to our hospital. On fundoscopic examination, the original retinal tear was found to be closed, suggesting that subretinal strands had formed that inhibited retinal reattachment. We therefore performed another vitreous surgery to resect the subretinal proliferative tissue, resulting in successful retinal reattachment.Discussion: Association of Harada’s disease with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment has rarely been described. The reason for the rare occurrence of the condition is that as the inflammatory process is limited to the choroid and retinal pigment epithelium in Harada’s disease, vitreous degeneration is unlikely to occur. However, in cases where subretinal strands prevent retinal reattachment despite closure of the original tear, surgical resection of the strands is required. This case represents a rare association of the inflammatory process of Harada’s disease with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, leading to the formation of subretinal strands that blocked retinal reattachment. Conclusion: Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with Harada’s disease may cause proliferative vitreoretinopathy with subretinal strands despite closure of the original tears, and resection of the subretinal strands may achieve retinal reattachment.
