Abstract
PURPOSE: To report two cases with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) who underwent vitreo-retinal surgery and developed severe retinal atrophy. OBSERVATIONS: Case 1 was a 36-year old man who underwent 20-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for a macular hole (MH), and Case 2 was a 71-year-old man who also underwent 20-gauge PPV for an epiretinal membrane (ERM). During 13 years follow-up period, severe retinal atrophy developed near the macula that progressed rapidly and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was reduced to 1.1 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) units in the MH case and to no light perception in the ERM case. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: An unexpected severe retinal atrophy can develop long after vitreo-retinal surgery in RP patients.