Paracentral retinal defects after vitrectomy for macular hole and their evolution over time
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Author Spotlight: Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Published on: May 26, 2023
Zofia Michalewska1, Janusz Michalewski, Jerzy Nawrocki
1From the Ophthalmic Clinic, "Jasne Blonia," Lodz, Poland.
Purpose:
The aim of this article is to present paracentral defects after macular hole surgery with spectral optical coherence tomography and to discuss its influence on functional outcome.
Methods:
The authors report a spectral optical coherence tomography documented case of paracentral retinal defects in a patient after macular hole surgery. A spectral optical coherence tomography device with an axial resolution of 3 μm was used. The 3-dimensional examination scanned an area of 7 × 7 mm around the macula. Additionally HRT2, macular module scans were performed.
Results:
A 70-year-old man underwent surgery for macular hole. Best-corrected visual acuity was 0.2 for 2 years after surgery. Paracentral retinal defects, first observed 1 week after surgery, tended to decrease in size.
Conclusion:
Full-thickness paracentral retinal holes are a rare vitrectomy complication. In this study, we suggest that the cause of those defects can be internal limiting membrane peeling itself, with no component of direct mechanical trauma.

