31/08/2025
Choroidal Effusion :
◾Choroidal effusion occurs when fluid collects in the suprachoroidal space, which is a potential space between the choroid and the sclera.
◾The primary cause of choroidal effusion is low IOP, although inflammation can sometimes play a role.
◾Other risk factors include anticoagulation, aphakia, high myopia, prior ocular surgery, hypotony, straining, hypertension, and heart and respiratory disease.
◾Patients with nanophthalmos, choroidal hemangioma, carotid cavernous fistula, Sturge-Weber syndrome, and other conditions associated with increased episcleral venous pressure are also predisposed to choroidal effusion and hemorrhage.
◾Some of the risk factors for choroidal effusion can be mitigated.
◾Preoperatively, hyperosmotic agents can be used to reduce IOP and to prevent sudden IOP decrease during surgery.
◾Intraoperatively, IOP can be reduced slowly after the paracentesis is created in order to avoid a sudden drop in IOP.
◾Postoperatively, aqueous suppressants should be avoided in the surgically treated eye and the fellow eye if possible. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and topical beta blockers administered after incisional glaucoma surgery can lead to increased risk of choroidal effusion and should therefore be avoided. Additionally, the patient should be advised to avoid straining and Valsalva-type maneuvers.
◾Photo:
➖Fundus photography showing a dome-shaped choroidal that occurred in a patient with hypotony after trabeculectomy (A).
➖B-scan ultrasound of the same patient showing moderate echolucent (dark) choroidals due to serous choroidal effusion (B).
Credit: www.glaucomatoday.com
Dr-Muzamil Hussain Baloch