Correlation of visual recovery with presence of photoreceptor inner/outer segment junction in optical coherence images after epiretinal membrane surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between the presence of the photoreceptor inner and outer segment (IS/OS) junction and visual acuity after epiretinal membrane (ERM) surgery.


METHODS
Seventy eyes of 70 consecutive patients who had undergone vitrectomy for idiopathic ERM were examined by optical coherence tomography before and 3 and 6 months after surgery. The IS/OS junction was graded into three grades. The time course of recovery of the IS/OS junction, central foveal thickness (CFT) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) during the postoperative period was studied.


RESULTS
A normal IS/OS junction was detected in 47.1% of the eyes before surgery and in 65.7% at 3 months and 75.7% at 6 months after. There was a significant correlation between the IS/OS grade and BCVA before and at 3 and 6 months after the operation (p = 0.0001, p<0.0001, p<0.0001, respectively). The preoperative IS/OS junction grade correlated significantly with BCVA at 6 months (p = 0.0239). CFT did not correlate significantly with BCVA at 3 and 6 months.


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of a normal IS/OS junction was associated with good visual acuity after ERM surgery. A normal IS/OS junction probably indicates morphological and functional recovery of the photoreceptors.
Mitamura
Y
Y
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan. ymita@faculty.chiba-u.jp
Hirano
K
K
Baba
T
T
Yamamoto
S
S
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D055211:Retinal Photoreceptor Cell Inner Segment / Q000473:pathology*; D055214:Retinal Photoreceptor Cell Outer Segment / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014821:Vitrectomy