Long-Term Course Following Vitreous Surgery for Epiretinal Membrane

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To follow the long-term course of visual acuity (VA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) over at least a 3-year follow-up after vitreous surgery in patients with epiretinal membrane (ERM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study examined 43 eyes of patients who underwent 23- or 25-gauge vitreous surgery for ERM. RESULTS: There was significant improvement of the VA at 3 months after surgery compared with baseline, with the improvements maintained for 5 years (analysis of variance [ANOVA]; P < .05). There was a significant decrease in the mean CRT from 1 month up to 5 years (ANOVA; P < .05). There was also a significantly worse mean VA found for cases exhibiting an outer retinal layer disorder before surgery. CONCLUSION: Disorders of the outer layer of the retina before surgery have an influence on the VA outcome, with changes sometimes occurring even after the long-term postoperative follow-ups.