Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 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
Vitreous estrogen levels in patients with an idiopathic macular hole
Naoki Inokuchi1, Tsunehiko Ikeda2, Kimitoshi Nakamura3
1Inokuchi Eye Clinic, Suita-City Osaka, Japan.
Purpose:
Estrogen, a female hormone, activates collagenase and might be associated with the pathogenesis of vitreoretinal collagen fiber disease. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the vitreous levels of estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2) in subjects with an idiopathic macular hole (IMH).
Methods:
Vitreous samples were obtained from ten female patients with an IMH and from nine female patients with other retinal diseases (six with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and three with age-related macular degeneration) as a control at the time of vitreous surgery. E1 and E2 levels in the vitreous samples were then determined using the Coat-A-Count(®) Estradiol Radioimmunoassay (RIA) Kit and the DSL-70 Estrone RIA Kit, respectively.
Results:
The mean vitreous levels of E1 and E2 in the subjects with IMH were 1.83±2.00 pg/mL and 7.03±2.97 pg/mL, respectively, whereas in the control subjects they were 2.42±1.25 pg/mL and 4.90±2.90 pg/mL, respectively. Thus, the vitreous E2 levels in the subjects with IMH were significantly higher than in the controls (P<0.05).
Conclusion:
The findings of this study suggest that E2 might be associated with the pathogenesis of IMH, but further investigation is needed to elucidate that association.
