title: Optic coherence tomography of idiopathic macular epiretinal membranes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the characteristics of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in idiopathic macular epiretinal membranes (IMEM) and the relationship between the thickness of fovea and the vision of affected eyes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 67 cases (73 eyes) with clinical diagnosis of IMEM using direct, indirect ophthalmoscope, three mirror contact lens, fundus color photography or fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) were examined with OCT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Epiretinal membranes (ERMs) with macular edema were found in 32 eyes, proliferative ERMs in 20 eyes, ERMs with macular pseudoholes in 14 eyes and ERMs with laminar macular holes in 7 eyes. Based on OCT, the ERMs were clearly and partially seperated from the retinal (27 eyes, 38. 36%), the retinal thickness of the fovea was the thickest in the proliferative ERMs and the thinnest in the ERMs with laminar macular holes. The statistical analysis showed there was a negative correlation between the thickness of fovea and visual acuity (r = - 0. 454, P = 0. 000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were four types of images of OCT in IMEM: ERMs with macular edema, proliferative ERMs, ERMs with macular pseudohole and ERMs with laminar macular hole; and the thicker the fovea under the OCT, the poorer the vision acuity in the affected eyes with ERMs.
authors.affiliation: Zhongshan Ophthalmic center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yunlan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000473:pathology*; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity