Extent of Internal Limiting Membrane Peeling and its Impact on Macular Hole Surgery Outcomes: A Randomized Trial

To identify whether and how outcomes of macular hole (MH) surgery are influenced by the extent of internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling.

Randomized clinical trial.

This study involved 65 eyes from 65 patients who underwent surgery for idiopathic MH. ILM was peeled with a radius of either 0.75 disc diameter (small-extent group, SEG) or 1.5 disc diameter (large-extent group, LEG), according to the randomization. Anatomic success, visual acuity, and metamorphopsia score (M-score) were measured at 2- and 6-month postoperative visits. The distance between the foveal center and the parafoveal edge of the outer plexiform layer on optical coherence tomography was measured in 4 directions, and further distance increases in certain directions were defined as asymmetric elongation of foveal tissue.

Complete closure of the MH was observed after initial operation in 97.0% of eyes in both groups. The mean visual improvement at 6 months after surgery was 20.4 ± 12.8 and 19.1 ± 10.8 ETDRS letters in SEG and LEG, respectively (P = .452). The mean amount of improvement in M-score was 0.26 ± 0.55 in SEG and 0.50 ± 0.53 in LEG (P = .039). There was a difference in the mean degree of asymmetric elongation between the 2 groups (22.5% ± 10.8% in SEG vs 13.4% ± 5.8% in LEG, P = .001). And there was inverse correlation between the mean degree of asymmetric elongation and the amount of improvement in M-score at 6 months postoperatively (P < .001).

Larger extent of ILM peeling during MH surgery is beneficial with respect to reduction of metamorphopsia, alleviating asymmetric elongation of foveal tissue.