We evaluated the relationship between the surgical success of idiopathic macular hole and sex, age, duration, epiretinal membrane, preoperative visual acuity, size of the hole, and surgical method. Of all 25 eyes in 23 patients, 14 eyes(56%)showed anatomical success(disappearance of the hole), and 17 eyes(68%)functional success(the final visual acuity of 0.15 or more with more than one line improvement). There were statistically significant differences of anatomical(p=0.001)and functional success(p=0.020)between the Group I where its macular hole was less than one-fourth of the optic disc in size and the other group, and anatomical success(p=0.039)between the group with the age of less than 70 years(Group A)and the other group. In Group I, anatomical and functional success were both 92%(11 eyes/12 eyes). In Group A, anatomical and functional success were 72%(13 eyes/18 eyes)and 77%(14 eyes/18 eyes), respectively, and there was statistically significant relationship between size of the hole and anatomical success(p=0.024), and difference of anatomical success between the group with duration of less than 6 months and the other group(p=0.023). Good surgical result may be expected in the idiopathic macular hole of the age of less than 70 years with about 350 micrometer or less in size and duration of less than 6 months.
Epiretinal Membrane ; Humans ; Retinal Perforations* ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To assess macular function before and after vitrectomy and membrane removal in epiretinal membranes by means of multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG). METHODS: The mfERGs (RETIscan(R), Roland, Germany) of 28 consecutive patients (28 eyes) with idiopathic epiretinal membranes were recorded before epiretinal membrane surgery and 3 to 6 months after surgery. The average retinal response density and implicit time of each local response were estimated as anatomic macular areas corresponding roughly to 5 rings. Preoperative and postoperative responses of mfERG were compared. The correlation of the change of retinal response density and postoperative macular configuration on optical coherent tomography (OCT) was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The postoperative value of P1 amplitude and implicit time were not statistically correlated with the preoperative value (p>0.05). There were no significant correlations between the changes of rings 1 and 2 with regard to the retinal response density of the mfERGs and visual acuity. There was no significant correlation between the change of retinal response density and postoperative macular configuration according to OCT. CONCLUSIONS: The use of mfERGs does not seem useful for predicting clinical prognosis after epiretinal membrane surgery. Further studies of influence of internal limiting membrane removal on mfERG response should be conducted.
Epiretinal Membrane ; Humans ; Membranes ; Prognosis ; Retinaldehyde ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

PURPOSE: To report a young girl with spontaneous separation of an epiretinal membrane and notable visual recovery. METHOD: We experienced a 13-year-old girl with decreased visual acuity of left eye. We diagnosed secondary epiretinal membrane associated with chorioretinitis on macula. RESULT: She had spontaneous improvement in corrected visual acuity of left eye from 0.2 to 0.8 attributable to spontaneous separation of an epiretinal membrane more than 2 years after it was diagnosed. CONCLUSION: Conservative treatment can be considered in young patients with epiretinal membrane because spontaneous separation may occur and result in improvement of visual acuity.
Adolescent ; Chorioretinitis ; Epiretinal Membrane* ; Female ; Humans ; Visual Acuity

Cryotherapy is blamed for inducing or aggravating PVR, by releasing retinal pigment epithelial(RPE) cells. These are based on the fact that PVR rarely occurs in non-operated eye, and many of PVR patients have received cryotherapy during surgery. Nontheless, in eyes with diathermy also developed PVR, and although there have been many experiments, the effect of cryotherapy on inducing PVR was not proven experimentally in the living eye. We made retinal tears in the living rabbit eyes, and applied cryotherapy on one eye of each rabbit. The result was compared histopathologically with noncryothermized control eye. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups concerning the migration of RPE, and the proliferation of RPE. Although the formation of epiretinal membrane was more obvious in the cryothermized group, the difference was not statistically significant.
Cryotherapy* ; Diathermy ; Epiretinal Membrane ; Humans ; Retinal Perforations ; Retinaldehyde

Epiretinal membrane is occurred on the inner retinal surface, and its causes are numerous ocular condition and disease, including ocular inflammatory conditions, proliferative retinopathy, nonproliferative retinal vascular disorders, blunt or penetrating injuries, vitreous hemorrhages. Also it is appeared not only after the surgery for retinal detachment or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment but after the cryopexy and ocular photocoagulation and sometimes it is idiopathically appeared without any special reason. Recently the vitreous surgery makes the removing of the epiretinal membrane from the inner retinal surface easy. In this study, removed the epiretinal membrane during the partial vitrectomy occurred with idiopathic and that occurred after the surgery for retinal detachment. we electromicroscopically compared and analyzed them.
Epiretinal Membrane* ; Light Coagulation ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinaldehyde ; Vitrectomy ; Vitreous Hemorrhage

Epiretinal membrane is occurred on the inner retinal surface, and its causes are numerous ocular condition and disease, including ocular inflammatory conditions, proliferative retinopathy, nonproliferative retinal vascular disorders, blunt or penetrating injuries, vitreous hemorrhages. Also it is appeared not only after the surgery for retinal detachment or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment but after the cryopexy and ocular photocoagulation and sometimes it is idiopathically appeared without any special reason. Recently the vitreous surgery makes the removing of the epiretinal membrane from the inner retinal surface easy. In this study, removed the epiretinal membrane during the partial vitrectomy occurred with idiopathic and that occurred after the surgery for retinal detachment. we electromicroscopically compared and analyzed them.
Epiretinal Membrane* ; Light Coagulation ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinaldehyde ; Vitrectomy ; Vitreous Hemorrhage

PURPOSE: To evaluate the differences between IOLMaster(R) and A-scans in changes in axial length after vitrectomy in patients with macular disease. METHODS: Using IOLMaster(R) and A-scans, we measured preoperative and postoperative axial length in 12 eyes with epiretinal membranes (ERM) and in 8 eyes with macular holes (MH). The relationship between the absolute error in axial length after vitrectomy and both methods was assessed using Mann-Whitney U test. The correlation to central macular thickness was evaluated by Spearman's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: In eyes with ERM and MH, preoperative and postoperative axial lengths obtained with both methods had no significant difference (p>0.05). The absolute error in axial length after vitrectomy was not significant using IOLMaster(R) (ERM: 0.07+/-0.05 mm, MH: 0.04+/-0.02 mm, p>0.05) but was significant using A-scan (ERM: 0.20+/-0.11 mm, MH: 0.30+/-0.07 mm, p<0.05). The correlation between the change of axial length after vitrectomy and the central macular thickness was poor (IOLMaster(R): ERM; correlation coefficient = -0.182, p>0.05, MH; correlation coefficient = -0.054, p>0.05, A-scan: ERM; correlation coefficient = -0.210, p>0.05, MH; correlation coefficient = -0.156, p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The IOLMaster(R) is more useful than the A-scan when measuring axial length without refractive errors after vitrectomy in eyes with macular disease.
Epiretinal Membrane ; Eye ; Humans ; Refractive Errors ; Retinal Perforations ; Vitrectomy

PURPOSE: To evaluate the differences between IOLMaster(R) and A-scans in changes in axial length after vitrectomy in patients with macular disease. METHODS: Using IOLMaster(R) and A-scans, we measured preoperative and postoperative axial length in 12 eyes with epiretinal membranes (ERM) and in 8 eyes with macular holes (MH). The relationship between the absolute error in axial length after vitrectomy and both methods was assessed using Mann-Whitney U test. The correlation to central macular thickness was evaluated by Spearman's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: In eyes with ERM and MH, preoperative and postoperative axial lengths obtained with both methods had no significant difference (p>0.05). The absolute error in axial length after vitrectomy was not significant using IOLMaster(R) (ERM: 0.07+/-0.05 mm, MH: 0.04+/-0.02 mm, p>0.05) but was significant using A-scan (ERM: 0.20+/-0.11 mm, MH: 0.30+/-0.07 mm, p<0.05). The correlation between the change of axial length after vitrectomy and the central macular thickness was poor (IOLMaster(R): ERM; correlation coefficient = -0.182, p>0.05, MH; correlation coefficient = -0.054, p>0.05, A-scan: ERM; correlation coefficient = -0.210, p>0.05, MH; correlation coefficient = -0.156, p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The IOLMaster(R) is more useful than the A-scan when measuring axial length without refractive errors after vitrectomy in eyes with macular disease.
Epiretinal Membrane ; Eye ; Humans ; Refractive Errors ; Retinal Perforations ; Vitrectomy

We did a follow-up study of 49 patients who had vitrectomy with removal of the macular epiretinal membrane. The patients were followed over 3 months (3-86 months). The patients had an average age of 39.3(13-72) years. Changes of postoperative visual acuity, complications, cause of poor visual outcome, and the prognostic factors were evaluated. 34 eyes(69.4%) showed improvement of visual acuity two lines or more compared to preoperative visual acuity and 25 eyes(51.0%) achieved a final visual acuity of 0.5 or better. Complications were noted in 13 eyes. They were consisted of cataract progression in 6 eyes, retinal break in 3 eyes, recurred membranes in 2 eyes, increased intraocular pressure and endophthalmitis in each eye. The causes of poor visual outcome related with the complications and the preoperative macular damages. Among the various prognostic factors, the preoperative visual acuity and the duration of disease show statistical significance in this study(p<0.001, p<0.002).
Cataract ; Endophthalmitis ; Epiretinal Membrane* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Membranes ; Retinal Perforations ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

In children and young adults, secondary epiretinal membranes after ocular trauma, pars planitis, ocular toxocariasis, and Coat's disease are common and spontaneous separation occurs in a relatively higher rate with improvement in visual acuity than elderly patients. In a 31-year-old man with pars planitis, diffuse epiretinal membrane in the macula became thinner during systemic and topical steroid therapy. Two years after treatment, the preretinal membrane spontaneously separated from the macula to the inferior temporal arcade, and visual acuity improved from 0.15 to 1.0. The authors reviewed the available literatures regarding the possible mechanisms for the spontaneous separation ofepiretinal membrane.
Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Epiretinal Membrane* ; Humans ; Membranes ; Pars Planitis ; Toxocariasis ; Visual Acuity ; Young Adult*