Visual performance 3 years after successful macular hole surgery.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Surgery
• Visual Neuroscience

Background:

• Macular hole surgery aims to restore visual function.
• Long-term outcomes of visual performance after macular hole surgery require evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the long-term visual performance in patients who underwent successful macular hole surgery.
• To compare the visual outcomes of operated eyes with their healthy fellow eyes.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 15 patients with successful macular hole surgery and their healthy fellow eyes as controls.
• Evaluation included best-corrected visual acuity, reading acuity and speed, and scotoma size using SLO perimetry.
• Hole closure was confirmed with OCT scans.

Main Results:

• Operated eyes showed significantly lower distance and reading acuity compared to healthy fellow eyes, but improved from preoperative levels.
• Maximum reading speeds were comparable between operated and healthy eyes.
• Critical print size was significantly worse in operated eyes, despite the absence of absolute scotoma in most cases.

Conclusions:

• Successful macular hole surgery leads to long-term improvements in visual function.
• While deficits in acuity persist, reading speed recovery is notable, suggesting functional benefits.
• Further research may explore strategies to improve residual acuity deficits.