title: Stage III macular hole surgery.
abstract: Twelve macular holes in 12 patients underwent a pars plana vitrectomy and epiretinal membrane resection with intravitreal gas tamponade for repair of their macular holes. The patients had stage III macular holes and had previously undergone a normal funduscopic examination within 2 years. The patients have been followed for a mean of 14 months (range 12-18 months) postoperatively. The results show that visual acuity improvements were not seen until at least 6 months after surgery if the hole was closed successfully. Seven holes were closed (58.3%) and all improved their best corrected visual acuity by more than two Snellen lines. In the five eyes that did not demonstrate hole closure (41.6%), one eye improved by two lines as well. The other four eyes remained at their preoperative acuity. One eye developed a dialysis which responded to a fluid air exchange and cryopexy (8.3%). Three eyes developed minimal lenticular opacities during the follow up period (25%). One eye demonstrated an altered perifoveal pigment epithelium perhaps related to intraoperative light toxicity. Macular hole surgery can restore some central acuity even in patients with longstanding holes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Orellana
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lieberman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012160:Retina / Q000601:surgery*; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014821:Vitrectomy / Q000379:methods*