Only 13% of eyes gained ≥3 lines of vision after vitrectomy for radiotherapy complications
Vitreoretinal Surgery for Intraocular Complications Following Radiotherapy Treatment of Uveal Melanoma.
Thomas Joseph Padley … Heinrich Heimann
Cancers · 2025
Background
Globe-sparing radiotherapy is widely utilised in the treatment of uveal melanoma, but often results in complications requiring vitreoretinal intervention.
Methods
We reviewed 1794 patients treated with radiotherapy for uveal melanoma between 2012 and 2022.
n = 1794 patients
13%
Results
13%
very few eyes saw meaningful vision recovery after this surgery
n = 1794 patients
More results
Complications requiring vitrectomy were more common after proton-beam radiotherapy than plaque brachytherapy (5.4% versus 3.0%).
Common indications included vitreous haemorrhage (39%) and retinal detachment/toxic tumour syndrome (31%).
The affected tumours were larger, more often ciliary body in origin, and associated with a worse prognosis.
More results
Proton-beam patients had worse outcomes than plaque brachytherapy patients.
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Conclusion · 1 of 2
Vitreoretinal complications after uveal melanoma radiotherapy are rare, but timely treatment by those with experience may enable patients to keep their eye in situations where enucleation would be the only alternative.
Conclusion · 2 of 2
Patients and clinicians must understand the risks of complications to make informed decisions about treatment plans, with vitreoretinal surgeons and ocular oncologists key to outcomes.