Scattered lamellar microholes as a complication of epiretinal membranes

The authors present two cases of an unusual pattern of the fundus corresponding to multiple "scattered lamellar microholes" located at the periphery of thick and contractile idiopathic epiretinal membranes. The retinal defects were documented with blue reflectance fundus photographs and three-dimensional spectral domain optical coherence tomography. They seem to correspond to multiple small areas of partial-thickness or lamellar disruptions of the retina. The authors suggest that the contraction of the epiretinal membrane may have caused tangential traction on the adjacent inner retina, creating disruptions in the internal limiting membrane and inner retina.