Resolution of Vitreomacular Traction Following a Commercial Flight Simulator Experience
<b>Purpose:</b> To describe the effect of rotational forces on the vitreoretinal interface in a case of vitreomacular traction. <b>Methods:</b> Retrospective, observational case report. <b>Results:</b> A 66-year-old woman presented with symptomatic vitreomacular traction with reduced visual acuity to 20/60. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) indicated left eye vitreomacular traction. After discussion of treatment options including vitrectomy, the patient elected to proceed with a commercial flight simulator experience given her concerns regarding the risks of surgery or other invasive procedures. A repeat OCT 3 weeks later showed resolution of vitreomacular traction. Long-term follow-up visual acuity returned to 20/25 in the left eye. <b>Conclusions:</b> A separation of the vitreous from the fovea was observed following a commercial flight simulator experience. The machine's maneuverability and associated 3-dimensional acceleration potential allows force to traverse the vitreous at multiple vectors. It is hypothesized that force vectors perpendicular to the vitreomacular interface contributed to its separation.
Authors
- Marc Ohlhausen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0828-8478)
- Steven Yeh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5417-7771)
- Nathaniel Ashby
- Sean Kim
- Timothy Kaftan
- Edward McGill
Institutions
- Creighton University (US)
- Nebraska Medical Center (US)
- California Retina Consultants (US)
- University of Nebraska Medical Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases
- Published
- 2025-08-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/24741264251366407
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Retinal and Macular Surgery
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.36
Funders
- National Eye Institute