Clinical and Optical Coherence Tomography Characteristics of Torpedo Maculopathy

To describe the clinical and optical coherence tomography (OCT) characteristics of torpedo maculopathy (TM) and report longitudinal imaging findings in eyes with follow-up. This retrospective study included 12 consecutive patients diagnosed with TM at Bursa Uludağ University between January 2016 and January 2026. Clinical data and multimodal imaging, including color fundus photography, spectral-domain OCT, and fundus autofluorescence, were reviewed and classified according to OCT-based classifications. Median age was 11.0 years (IQR, 4.8–18.3; range, 1–53); 9 patients (75%) were younger than 18 years, and 7 (58.3%) were male. All lesions were unilateral: 8 eyes were temporal to the macula (2 subfoveal), 3 were inferior parafoveal, and 1 was subfoveal with nasal extension. Most patients were asymptomatic. Among 10 evaluable patients, visual acuity (VA) was 20/20 in 8 eyes; the remaining 2 (20/40, 20/33) had subfoveal involvement. Median follow-up was 13.0 months (IQR, 10.0–48.0; range, 1–123), including 2 followed at least 10 years, with stable VA throughout. Interdigitation zone attenuation was the most consistent OCT finding, present in all 9 eyes with cross-sectional OCT. Outer retinal cavitation (type 2 TM, 6 eyes) was observed in patients with a higher median age than type 1 lesions (19.5 vs 6.0 years; two-sided exact p=0.048) and became shallower over long-term follow-up. TM is a predominantly pediatric, congenital, and stable retinal lesion. Interdigitation zone attenuation is the earliest and most consistent OCT finding, supporting a spectrum model of outer retinal involvement. Long-term follow-up confirms structural and functional stability, supporting a conservative, observation-based management approach.