The Rayleigh Color Matches in Idiopathic Macular Holes Treated by Vitrectomy

Purpose: The Rayleigh color matches were measured to investigate the optical density in the cone photopigment of the central retina in patients with macular holes that had closed after vitrectomy.Methods: The Rayleigh equation was measured with the IF-2 anomaloscope in 7 patients with macular holes in one eye, that had closed after vitrectomy and gained an improvement in visual acuity of 0.5 or better. Reductions in the pigment optical density of cone photoreceptors of the opposite eyes were estimated with Rayleigh equations obtained in this experiment.Result: The Rayleigh equations of the affected eyes were shifted toward protanomalous setting compared with that of the opposite eyes. The optical densities of cone photoreceptors of the affected eyes were lower than those in the opposite eyes, even in patients with visual acuity of 1.0 or better.Conclusion: These findings suggest that the recovery of the visual acuity may precede that of the optical density in cone photopigment of central retina. The Rayleigh equation is more sensitive than visual acuity for evaluating visual function after vitrectomy for macular holes.