title: Postoperative restoration of foveal inner retinal configuration in patients with epiretinal membrane and abnormally thick inner retina.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate foveal inner retinal layer (IRL) restoration and its relationship with functional visual outcomes after membrane peeling in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) with foveal central thick IRL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive eyes (n = 57) with a thick foveal IRL that underwent 25-gauge vitrectomy for ERM treatment were included. Complete ophthalmic and spectral domain optical coherence tomography examinations were performed before and 1 year after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before surgery, mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/48 (logMAR, 0.38); central foveal thickness, 515.0 ± 90.9 μm; and central IRL thickness (CIRLT) at the fovea, 167.7 ± 80.1 μm. One year after ERM peeling, mean BCVA improved to 20/30 (logMAR, 0.18), central foveal thickness to 404.1 ± 96.4 μm, and CIRLT to 76.8 ± 68.0 μm. In multivariate analysis, initial BCVA and CIRLT at baseline correlated well with final BCVA and BCVA improvement at 12 months. In comparison with Group B eyes (persistently thick foveal IRL at 12 months), Group A eyes (restored foveal IRL at 12 months) had thinner CIRLT at baseline and showed a significant post-surgical improvement in BCVA and metamorphopsia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In eyes with idiopathic ERM and decreased vision due to abnormally thick IRL in the foveal center, postoperative visual outcomes correlated well with preoperative CIRLT and postoperative restoration of IRL configuration after ERM peeling.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Ophthalmology, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Ulsan, South Korea; †Department of Ophthalmology, Chung Ang University Hospital, University of Chung Ang, College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; and ‡Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Seung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jee Taek
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soo Geun
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Joe
authors.forename: Joo Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yoon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004396:Coloring Agents; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D012160:Retina / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055351:Retinal Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D014821:Vitrectomy
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D007208:Indocyanine Green