title: Long-term follow-up of fellow eye in patients with lamellar macular hole.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate macular changes in fellow eyes of patients diagnosed with lamellar macular hole (LMH) using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and blue fundus autofluorescence (B-FAF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fellow eyes of patients diagnosed with a LMH were retrospectively evaluated on OCT. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central foveal thickness (CFT) were recorded. Corresponding B-FAF images, vitreo-macular relations, and type of epiretinal membranes (ERMs) were also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-five patients were included. At baseline, six fellow eyes (17%) showed a normal foveal profile, 26 (74%) had a tractional ERM, and three cases (9%) revealed a bilateral LMH, one of them with a lamellar hole-associated epiretinal proliferation (LHEP). A posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) was present in 29 patients (83%), four (11%) had only a vitreo-papillary adhesion (VPA), and two (6%) had both vitreo-macular adhesion (VMA) and VPA. After a mean follow-up of 4.6 ± 1.9 years, one eye (3%) developed a vitreous detachment from the macula with persistent VPA, and one developed a PVD from a VPA with subsequent ERM formation. BCVA and mean CFT remained stable in 35 eyes (100%). Likewise, no B-FAF signal variations were detected. One patient developed a LMH during the 3rd year of follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that the presence of a LMH in one eye does not increase significantly the risk of developing the same condition in the fellow eye after 4 years. Bilateral condition is uncommon, and an ERM is often detected in the fellow eye. LHEPs were not observed in fellow eyes with foveal integrity, and all LHEPs observed (in main and fellow eyes) were always associated with LMHs; this supports the hypothesis that LHEP is a consequence and not a causative factor for LMHs. The occurrence of a LMH in one fellow eye after 3 years follow-up may suggest that a higher incidence of bilateral disease could develop in a longer time span.
authors.affiliation: Eye Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science "Luigi Sacco", Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi 74, Milano, MI, Italy. ugonava89@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Nava
authors.affiliation: Eye Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science "Luigi Sacco", Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi 74, Milano, MI, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo Giuseppe
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cereda
authors.affiliation: Eye Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science "Luigi Sacco", Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi 74, Milano, MI, Italy.
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bottoni
authors.affiliation: Eye Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science "Luigi Sacco", Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi 74, Milano, MI, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Preziosa
authors.affiliation: Eye Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science "Luigi Sacco", Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi 74, Milano, MI, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.affiliation: Eye Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science "Luigi Sacco", Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi 74, Milano, MI, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giani
authors.affiliation: Eye Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science "Luigi Sacco", Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi 74, Milano, MI, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Staurenghi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014792:Visual Acuity
keywords: Epiretinal membrane; Epiretinal proliferation; Lamellar macular hole; Lamellar macular hole fellow eye; Vitreoretinal interface