Anatomic and visual outcomes of vitrectomy for vitreomacular traction syndrome

To assess anatomic and visual outcomes after pars plana vitrectomy for vitreomacular traction syndrome.

Charts of 746 patients who had vitrectomy surgery with membrane peel between January 2002 and December 2007 were reviewed. Vitreomacular traction syndrome (VMT) was diagnosed based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) appearance. Twenty eyes of 20 patients were found to have had vitrectomy surgery for VMT and were included in the study.

Mean visual acuity was 20/122 preoperatively and 20/68 postoperatively (P = .005). Mean foveal thickness was 404.00 microm preoperatively and 250.55 microm postoperatively (P = .001). A subgroup analysis was performed based on preoperative OCT appearance. Improvement in vision was not significant in eyes with lamellar separation between the inner and outer fovea (P = .379), but was significant in eyes with cystoid macular edema (P = .045) or perifoveal traction (P = .040).

Overall, there was a significant improvement in visual acuity and central foveal thickness postoperatively. Eyes with lamellar separation of the inner and outer foveal layers preoperatively had worse visual results, whereas eyes with cystoid macular edema or perifoveal VMT had better visual results.