Limited Vitrectomy in Patients With Idiopathic Epiretinal Membrane

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the safety and effectivity of limited vitrectomy in patients with epiretinal membrane. Methods: We included 58 consecutive patients who underwent epiretinal membrane surgery without performing a complete peripheral vitreous removal. The improvement in visual acuity, the incidence of retinal breaks and detachment; anatomical results and intraoperative and postoperative complications of this technique were evaluated. Results: The median visual acuity was 0.4(0.3-0.5) before the surgery, and it was 0.6 (0.3-0.8) after the surgery (p=0.016). Prophylactic laser photocoagulation was performed in 14(24,13%) patients during surgery. Retinal breaks and detachments did not occur in any of our patients. We did not observe proliferative vitreoretinopathy or surgery- related major complications in any patient. Conclusion: Limited vitrectomy without removing peripheral vitreous is safe and effective in idiopathic epiretinal membrane surgery. It reduces the risk of peripheral retinal breaks and retinal detachment.