title: Pars plana vitrectomy for vitreomacular traction syndrome: a systematic review and metaanalysis of safety and efficacy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the safety and efficacy of pars plana vitrectomy for vitreomacular traction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Articles reporting visual acuity change before and after pars plana vitrectomy were selected using a systematic literature review with predefined eligibility criteria. Visual acuities were converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR), weighted for study size, and pooled across studies. Safety outcomes were also pooled across studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-one of 460 articles were eligible. Mean (±standard deviation) logMAR visual acuity improved from 0.67 ± 0.55 to 0.42 ± 0.45 (n = 259 eyes) after pars plana vitrectomy (from 20/94 to 20/53 Snellen). In series of at least 20 eyes, mean visual acuity improved in all 5 studies (sign test, P = 0.0625). Of 392 eyes, 9.2% lost visual acuity, 11.7% were unchanged, and 64.3% improved; 32.9% of 217 eyes gained ≥2 Snellen lines. The most common postoperative complications were cataract (34.7% of 304 eyes; 63.2% of 68 phakic eyes), epiretinal membrane (5.7% of 348 eyes), and retinal detachment (4.6% of 348 eyes). Cataract surgery was undertaken in 10.5% of eyes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The visual acuity gains after pars plana vitrectomy for vitreomacular traction are relatively modest, but visual acuity change may not fully reflect symptomatic relief.
authors.affiliation: *School of Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; and †London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Timothy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nicod
authors.forename: Aris
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Angelis
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grimaccia
authors.forename: Andrew T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Prevost
authors.forename: Andrew R H
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Panos
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kanavos
mesh_terms: D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D000267:Tissue Adhesions / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014821:Vitrectomy; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000601:surgery*