ObjectiveTo preliminarily evaluate the feasibility of ultra-wide-angle fundus imaging (UWFI) to observe the Weiss ring (vitreous floats) and the effectiveness and safety of neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd: YAG) laser ablation in the treatment of symptomatic Weiss ring. MethodsA retrospective clinical study. From March 2016 to December 2019, 80 eyes of 68 patients with symptomatic Weiss ring who were diagnosed and treated at Guangzhou Aier Eye Hospital were included in the study. Among them, there were 39 eyes in 32 males and 41 eyes in 36 females; the average age was 53.7±10.8 years old. All the affected eyes were examined by slit lamp microscope combined with 90 D front lens and UWFI. The position and shape of the vitreous floating objects by drawing pictures were recorded. All the affected eyes underwent Nd: YAG laser ablation treatment. Three months after treatment, a questionnaire survey was conducted on the patients to assess the improvement of subjective symptoms. Those with a total score of 10, 7-9, 3-6, and ≤2 points were defined as cured, significant improvement, partial improvement, and no improvement, respectively. The measurement software Gauge 1.0 was used to manually measure the long diameter, circumference and area of the vitreous float on the UWFI image. The diameter of the optic disc to 1 Unit (U) was set as a standardized reference value. Those who did not show UWFI and no floating objects were found on the front mirror were recorded as 0. The changes of vitreous floats before and after treatment were compared by Wilcoxon rank sum test; the changes in their size before and after treatment and the patients' subjective symptom improvement scores after treatment were analyzed by Spearman rank correlation. ResultsAfter treatment, in 80 eyes, there were no vitreous floats in 59 eyes (73.8%, 59/80) on UWFI. Before treatment, the circumference of the vitreous float was 1.84 (1.07, 2.64) U, the long diameter was 1.17 (0.84, 1.66) U, and the area was 0.18 (0.08, 0.30) U2; after treatment, the circumference was 0.00 (0.00, 0.23) U, The long diameter is 0.00 (0.00, 0.23) U, and the area was 0.00 (0.00, 0.01) U2. There were statistically significant differences in the perimeter, diameter, and area of floating objects before and after treatment (Z=?7.722, ?7.560, ?7.655; P＜0.001). The results of the questionnaire survey showed that the patient's subjective symptoms were cured, significantly improved, and partially improved in 49 (61.3%, 49/80), 25 (31.2%, 25/80), and 6 (7.5%, 6/80) eyes, respectively. The results of correlation analysis showed that the degree of improvement of the patient's subjective symptoms was related to the circumference (r=0.812), long diameter (r=0.796), and area (r=0.791) of the vitreous float on UWFI before and after treatment (P＜0.01). During the follow-up period, no complications such as increased intraocular pressure or decreased vision occurred. ConclusionsUWFI can objectively image the Weiss ring, and its size can be quantified relatively to the measurement software. Nd: YAG laser ablation treatment of symptomatic Weiss ring is safe and effective.
