Retinal thickness change in relation to visual acuity improvement after 23-gauge vitrectomy for idiopathic epimacular membrane.

Purpose: To assess the course of macular thickness change in relation to visual acuity improvement, in patients being operated for idiopathic epimacular membrane by 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy.

Materials And Methods: The clinical charts of 21 eyes of 19 consecutive patients (9 male and 10 female) were assessed retrospectively. Postoperatively, patients were followed up by best-corrected Snellen visual acuity (BCVA), a thorough ophthalmological examination, including fundoscopy, retinal thickness, and macular morphology as demonstrated by optical coherence tomography. The main outcome measures of the study were changed in central macular thickness (CMT)and visual acuity during the follow-up period.

Results: The mean duration of follow-up was 15.9 ± 1.0 months (range 12-24 months). Mean baseline BCVA improved from 0.22 ± 0.03 (decimal fraction) to 0.50 ± 0.07 at the last visit (P = 0.001), whereas baseline CMT (408 μm) decreased to 283 μm at final examination (P = 0.001). During the follow-up, 10 eyes (47%) achieved 0.5 or better BCVA. The first significantly lower CMT readings were obtained at third-month visit while BCVA showed an improvement with the significant difference following 9 months after the surgery. In total, 8 out of 11 phakic eyes underwent cataract extraction with a mean of 6.8 months (range 1-12 months).

Conclusions: After a successful epimacular membrane removal, functional recovery takes at least 9 months in comparison to much early resolution in macular oedema that was evident at third month following the surgery.